Chibi Beginnings
by DrakeTheDuelist
Summary: What really happened while Chibi Yugi was solving the Millenium Puzzle? And what does it have to do with Chibi Yoh and Chibi Anna? Chapter 15 up. Yoh and Atemu are just about finished, so what can Yoh be thinking?
1. Default Chapter

(A/N: After reading many chibi-stories, I've finally thought of one I'm rather happy with. It's a Yugioh-Shaman King crossover again, but this one involves Yugi's first attempts to solve the Millenium Puzzle. As he solves the puzzle, strange spirits begin to awaken and begin wreaking their long overdue torture on the innocent.  
  
I've seen chibi-fics done for humor on plenty of other fics, but the one author who does it more than anyone else seems to (inspirational to chibi- fic writers) would be Ice Queen Anna Asakura. She's got some good ones too, and no, I didn't copy her ideas! I'm not an 'Anna friendly' writer typically.  
  
For those of us who don't really follow chibi-fics, they involve lots of baby jibberish. So for those of us who don't speak chibi, I'll put subtitles in parenthesis. Though you should be able to catch on after a while...  
  
And, for those of you who don't know what's coming on by now, I don't own Yugioh or Shaman King. I should start cutting and pasting that line on all my fics by now.)  
  
Chibi Beginnings: by DrakeTheDuelist  
  
Chapter 1: Da Mawennium Puzzew (not a typo, I meant to spell it that way.)  
  
*Yugioh 8 years from present Kame Game Shop / Yugi's house 9:55 PM*  
  
Sokugoro: He yells up a set of stairs, to where a door hangs open, and light form a reading lamp shines through the door. "Yugi, get to sleep! Tomorrow's your first day of first grade! You don't want to miss that!"  
  
Chibi Yugi: From inside his room, he calls down to Sokugoro. "Okay, Gwampa, lemme pack my gwu an cwayons and brush my teef!" (Okay, Grandpa, let me pack up my glue and crayons and brush my teeth!)  
  
Sokugoro: He puts his hands on his hips and pauses, thinking to himself. "Yugi, are you working on that dusty old box you found?"  
  
Chibi Yugi: "It's noda box, it's a puzzew!" (It's not a box, it's a puzzle!)  
  
Sokugoro: He sighs heavily. "Yugi, you've got to get sleep, or you'll be super tired in the morning. It's your first day of school."  
  
Chibi Yugi: "Aw, mayn. Owkay, I'll gow ta' sweep." (Oh, man. Okay, I'll go to sleep.) The light in his room goes off.  
  
Sokugoro: He walks away from the stairwell. As he does, the light in Yugi's room is turned on again.  
  
Chibi Yugi: He wears light blue pajamas decorated with stars and rockets. In his right hand, he holds a flashlight over a pile of golden parts. The parts lay out over Yugi's bed. "Wow, dis is weelie hawd. Dese peeces don't luck lyke dey go toget'er ad all... Wonda wut it lucks lyke wen it's dun." (Wow, this is really hard. These pieces don't look like they go together at all... Wonder what it looks like when it's done.) He puts the flashlight down and places a hand on his chin. He climbs over his bed and turns on his desk lamp. He then reaches for a piece of the puzzle with an eye-shaped icon on it. "Dis ting lucks wike a centew. It's impowtant to da puzzew. Wonda wut da iye's fur dow." (This thing looks like a center. It's important to the puzzle. Wonder what the eye is for, though." The eye on the puzzle glows bright yellow, but Yugi fails to notice this.  
  
*Yugioh 6 years before present Kame Game Shop / Yugi's house 3:45 PM*  
  
Yugi has come home form school. He walks through the door bawling violently for some reason. Sokugoro runs up to him to try and comfort him.  
  
Sokugoro: "Yugi, what happened to you?"  
  
Chibi Yugi: (A/N: He's eight, and he still talks chibi? So what, I'm not perfect, nor is Yugi at this point.) "Waa, dat meenie Jowie beet me up agin!" (Waaa, that meanie Joey beat me up again!) He continues crying as he holds his hand over his right eye, trying to conceal the bruise form Sokugoro.  
  
Sokugoro: He kneels down to Yugi and removes Yugi's hand from over his eye. "Oh, Yugi. How many times do I tell you not to play with Joey at recess if he keeps beating on you?" He walks over to the freezer and pulls out an icepack. He then tosses it to Yugi.  
  
Chibi Yugi: He clumsily fubles the icepack and drops it on the floor. He sighs and bends down to the ground to pick up the icepack. He holds the icepack over his bruised eye. "Dats wy Jowie beet me up. I cuwdn't cetch da ball in reses." (That's why Joey beats me up. I couldn't catch the ball in recess.)  
  
Sokugoro: "Come on, Yugi. You should go to your room." He helps Yugi up to his room on the second floor. He guides Yugi into his room, and froom there, to his bed. Then, he suddenly glances to Yugi's desk to see the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle scattered across Yugi's desk. "Oh, you're still working on the Millennium Puzzle, and after two years now, hasn't it been? Maybe you should work on it, and you'll forget this whole thing happened. Puzzles are a great way to pass the time."  
  
Chibi Yugi: "Aw, Gwampa, I'v been wurkin on ir fer too yeers. It's tew tuff fer me." (Aw grampa, I've been working on it for two years. It's too tough for me.)  
  
Sokugoro: He leads Yugi over to the table where the pieces of the puzzle lay scattered on the desk. Yugi followed him slowly. "You see Yugi, the trick is to keep going. I'm working on a puzzle of my own, and I've always tried my best to finish it someday. Hang on, I'll go to the shop and get it." He walks out the room.  
  
Chibi Yugi: He stands at the table where his puzzle laid unfinished, though more like not started, for that matter. "How duz Gwampa do it? He reely thynks I cun do dis, but I'm not sur." (How does Grandpa do it? He really thinks I can do this, but I'm not sure.)  
  
Sokugoro: From a distance, he calls to Yugi. "Yugi, I've got it." He walks into Yugi's room, carrying four Duel Monsters cards in his hands. "This is my puzzle, Yugi." He shows the cards to Yugi.  
  
Yugi: He stares at the cards in his grandfather's hands in awe. "Wow, de're sow shynie! Wut ar dey, Gwampa?" (Whoa, they're so shiny! What are they, Grandpa?)  
  
Sokugoro: "It's from a card game called Duel Monsters. Many people think that cards with low attack are weak, but not me. In fact, I've been collecting this set for some time now, even though the cards aren't as strong as most others. It's called 'Exodia'. It's an indestructible monster that can only be summoned with five cards."  
  
Chibi Yugi: He stares at the cards in his grandfather's hand. "But dere ar only fore. Iz it dun yet?" (But there are only four. Is it done yet?)  
  
Sokugoro: "Well, not yet. I've got the right arm, right leg, left arm, and left leg, but one last piece still eludes me... The head of Exodia, the Forbidden One! And I won't stop until I find it. I've asked many a player if they have one, but have still to this day come up short. Though I never lose hope, Yugi. While I may be out of luck now, all you have to do is try again and again some other day. You'll solve your puzzle someday too..." He points to the Millennium Puzzle at Yugi's desk.  
  
Chibi Yugi: He grins lightly, but this grin fades as he turns back to the Millennium Puzzle. His eyes shoot open as he stares at one piece. "Aha! Dat's it! Da peeces won't styk tugedder cuz' dey wud make de puzzel unsolvubel. Ya nied to muve de peeces when in da puzzel. Tanks, Gwampa!" (Aha! That's it! The pieces won't stick together because they would make the puzzle unsolvable. You need to move the pieces when in the puzzle. Thanks, Grandpa!) Yugi rushes to his desk and begins to fiddle with pieces. In mere seconds, he manages to construct massive chunks of the puzzle.  
  
Sokugoro: "Excellent, Yugi! I knew that you'd figure it out eventually." *Remember, Yugi. Like the pieces of a puzzle...* He smiles and leaves the room.  
  
Chibi Yugi: He continues to place piece after piece into the puzzle while grinning widely. Piece and piece slide into place as Yugi's grin grows wider. The puzzle slowly took the shape of an inverted pyramid.  
  
Voice: A low and ominous voice emanated from the puzzle. However, while totally engaged in building the puzzle, Yugi failed to notice it. The voice sounded like Yugi's voice, but tremendously deeper. "Ah, so after three thousand years, my Aibou has arrived to release me..."  
  
(A/N: Okay, not only is the chapter done, but think I got the A/N-story ratio panned out quite nicely. Let me know if you agree that this is a bit better than my other fics, because if I'm getting worse, that's not good. And if you flame, do be courteous enough to let me know what to do.  
  
I'm taking a small break off "The Dragon Slayer" to do this one, mainly because I'm rethinking the fluff of the chapter with Joey versus Drake. And because that's gonna' be a long duel to type at any rate! When I'm done pondering, I'll let you know, but this is just a bookmark for letting all my adoring fans know that I'm not dead after all. And it turns out to be pretty funny anyway.  
  
Oh, and for those wondering, I had Yugi get beat up because the Millennium Puzzle can only be solved when the solver is in a lousy mood. Picked that one up off the manga. Didn't know if he knew Joey from third grade, though.  
  
And, drum role please... I don't own Yugioh or Shaman King, despite Shaman King's absence form this chapter! Well fret not, 'cuz like last SK-YGO crossover I did, it's gonna be almost all Shaman King good guys and Yugioh bad guys. Chibi Yugi could quite possibly not show up again all fic. Or he could pop up in the end, but no major starring roles anymore for the little guy. Remember, he's not the King of Games just yet. He's gotta' wait another six years to solve the puzzle for real.  
  
Final, final, super final comment: Aibou, that's a good side, or light half (trying to avoid saying 'weak half') of one's personality. Making that voice in Yugi's Puzzle being YamiYugi.) 


	2. Weewy Bad Dweams

(A/N: Chapter 2 up, I don't own Shaman King or Yugioh, yadda, yadda... Anything else needs saying? Didn't think so, so time to go to the story already!)  
  
Chibi Beginnings Chapter 2: Weely Bad Dweams  
  
*Shaman King, 6 years from present, Asakura Complex, Izumo, 1:30 AM*  
  
Yoh Asakura wears a small white robe as sleeps in a sleeping bag on the wood floor of a mansion. His sleeping bag is the only thing on the floor of the large room. Yoh snores loudly, tossing and turning.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He mutters to himself in his sleep. "zzz...bwu iyz... wyte dwagin... go 'way!" (zzz... blue eyes... white dragon... go away!)  
  
(Yoh's dream)-----  
  
Yoh stood on the stone yellow floor of an ancient Egyptian temple. Pillars lined the entire room. The room has a small pit with stairs on the edges of that pit as its main feature.  
  
The only other person who stands in the room is an ornately dressed priest, who carries a golden scepter in his hand. In front of him floats a giant, shiny blue dragon with a glistening, sleek and streamline looking body.  
  
Priest Seto: He points the Millennium Rod at Yoh, who stands dumbfounded in the center of the pit. "You will be the sacrifice to my Blue Eyes White Dragon, you tiny little brat! You'll learn rather quickly not to stand in the way of an Egyptian high priest as high ranking as myself! Now my dragon, Burst Stream attack!"  
  
The Blue Eyes hovers between Priest Seto and Yoh, then lets out a mighty roar, and it gathers lightning in its mouth. Suddenly, heavy chains appear around Yoh's arms.  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Hay, whud'd I do ta yew? I don' now abowt anee hiy pweests! Lemme gow, naw!" (Hey, what'd I do to you? I don't know any high priests! Let me go now!) He shakes his chains wildly, trying to break free.  
  
Priest Seto: He grins widely. "What a whiny brat. My Shadow Spell chains will keep you from running away. Blue Eyes, remove this twerp from my presence, NOW!"  
  
The Blue Eyes White Dragon gathered its attack in its mouth and launched a beam of lightning at Yoh. The lightning impacted the little boy, kicking up a large dust cloud.  
  
(End of Yoh's dream)-----  
  
Chibi Anna: She wears a long pink dress that stretched down to her ankles and past her elbows. She kneels at Yoh's side, shaking Yoh violently, trying to wake him up. "Yow, wayk up, pleez! Yore havyng a bad dweem. Yow, pwease wake up!" (Yoh, wake up, please! You're having a bad dream. Yoh, please wake up!)  
  
Chibi Yoh: His eyes shoot open as Anna stops shaking him. "Whow. Whut a nitmayr. Dis Egiptien hiy pweest guy wunted to sacwifyce me to de bwu iys wite dwagon..." (Whoa, what a nightmare. This Egyptian high priest guy wanted to sacrifice me to his blue eyes white dragon...)  
  
Chibi Anna: "Yow..." (Yoh...) A look of worry crosses her face. Hoping to break the tension, she breaks down into a giggle. "Yu've gut da kwaziyest imagynatyun, Yow! Cum awn, a bwu ize wyte dwagon? Wuz dat aneywey?" (You've got the craziest imagination, Yoh! Come on, a blue eyes white dragon? What's that anyway?)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He looks up to the ceiling. "It wuz scawee, dat's wut." (It was scary, that's what.)  
  
Chibi Anna: (softly) "Bet it wuz..." (Bet it was...) She gently leans her head on Yoh's shoulder, closing her eyes.  
  
Chibi Yoh: After contemplating the situation, he pets Anna's hair back as he slowly leans back onto his sleeping bag, with Anna still leaning on his shoulder. The two fall asleep together, clinging onto each other.  
  
(7:00 AM)-----  
  
Yoh and Anna wake up simultaneously, in each other's arms.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He stretches himself out from the curled up position he fell asleep in. He stares deeply into Anna's slowly opening eyes. "Guw mownin, Annah..." (Good morning, Anna...)  
  
Chibi Anna: She blushes brightly, glancing towards the ceiling with vain intent to conceal her embarrassment. "Mownin, Yow..." (Morning, Yoh...)  
  
The two hold each other loosely in their arms. Both of the two blush even brighter as they both squirm closer and closer to each other.  
  
Suddenly, the door rattles as footsteps are heard from the other side of the door. Seemingly reading each other's minds, Yoh falls limply into a fake sleep, and Anna gets up to her knees, pretending to shake Yoh awake. Yohmei Asakura, Yoh's grandfather, instantly slides open the door to Yoh's room and entered slowly as Anna pretends to wake Yoh up, pretending as if nothing happened.  
  
Chibi Anna: "Yow... Id's mowning... Wayk up, Yow..." (Yoh... It's morning... Wake up, Yoh...) She lightly shakes Yoh.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He pretends to wake up, yawning loudly and stretching out. (weakly) "Kay, I'm uwp, I'm uwp..." (Okay, I'm up, I'm up...)  
  
Yohmei Asakura: (To Yoh) "Wake up, Yoh. It's training day, and you have a long way to go before you can become the Shaman King." (To Anna) "And you'd better get prepared yourself, young lady. Kino'll be awake soon, and you'll go through your own training. You start summoning today, don't you?"  
  
Chibi Anna: A cheerful look quickly replaces her still lingering blush. "Weally? Keeno's gunna' wet me summmin spewits todey?" (Really? Kino's going to let me summon spirits today?)  
  
Yohmei: "Yes, Anna." He walks out of the room.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He rubs his eyes and streches his arms. (whispering) "Psst! Annah! Iz'e gown yet?" (Psst! Anna! Is he gone yet?)  
  
Chibi Anna: She blushes brightly again, contemplating what Yoh wanted to do that required Yohmei to leave. She holds onto her shoulders, trying to slow her racing heartbeat. "Y-y-yep, Yow... He weft..." (Y-y-yes, Yoh... He left...) She approaches Yoh slowly. Her face turned a highly bright red.  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Goowd, 'cuz I wanna sweep sum mowr!" (Good, cause I want to sleep some more!) He lets himself fall back down on his sleeping bag. He begins immediately snoring loudly.  
  
Chibi Anna: Her blush fades out. "But... I tawt..." (But.... I thought...) She stands up. "Stoopyd Yow! Hmph!" (Stupid Yoh! Hmph!) Though frustrated with Yoh, she held back her tears.  
  
(A/N: Awww, that was really cute... Those two were sweet on each other for six years and some! ...Wait, did I just write that?! Oh shoot, that was me, wasn't it? Was I really doing something nice for Anna and Yoh? ...Oh well, screw it! I guess those two do make a cute couple. Besides, I had Yoh do something stupid at the end; a key sign I did this!  
  
But it's time for my favorite part, the antagonist! Last time, I had Yami Bakura as the bad guy, and this go-around, it's Priest Seto. He needs to return to his roots as a villain something fierce! He makes a much better villain than a hero, pansying around Noah's virtual universe!  
  
That's all for now, and as for the curious soul wondering, two closing notes: 1) I don't own Shaman King or Yugioh, and 2) "The Dragon Slayer" is sooooo close to being finished on paper, and I'll start working on it on computer as soon as I'm done the rough. Worry not though, I'm gonna' make it!) 


	3. Stewpid Yow!

(A/N: Chapter 3 is coming fast, and just a little after chapter 2 as well. And for those of us who have become vastly proficient at reading chibi in such a short time, you've been able to figure out the titles by now and are no longer in need of as much subtitles. However, to be safe, I'll keep them up. Just in case...  
  
And still, REALLY sorry about what I accidentally did with Chapter 2!  
  
And now, time to see how to joke around with the disclaimer this time... Oh, I know! Chibi Drake: DwakeDaDewlyst duzn't ouwne Yoo-Gee-Ow or Shahmun Kyng. (DrakeTheDuelist doesn't own Yugioh or Shaman King.))  
  
Chibi Beginnings:  
  
Chapter 3: Stewpid Yow!  
  
*Shaman King 6 years before present 7:20 AM Asakura Complex, Izumo*  
  
Teatime at the Asakura Complex! Yohmei comes out to a small table with a tray carrying a teapot and several cups. Yoh and Anna, still in their pajamas, kneel at the table attentively. Well, more or less in Yoh's case, as Yoh is taking to falling asleep whenever or wherever he can, and now is no exception!  
  
Chibi Anna: She rudely gives Yoh a clubbing blow in the gut with her elbow. Though failing to wake Yoh up, she does manage to tip him over and onto the floor. She scowls at Yoh's perpetual sleepiness. "Yow, yew sweep fow tew wong. Getup, NAW!" (Yoh, you sleep for way too long. Get up, NOW!) She pokes at Yoh very hard with all her effort.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He continues to snore loudly and sleep on the floor.  
  
Chibi Anna: She crosses her arms and turns away form Yoh. "Wazie swakkew!" (Lazy slacker!)  
  
Yohmei: He sets the tray with the teapot and teacups down on the table. "Now, now, Anna. Be nice. I'll wake him up." He holds up his hand as several small blue spirits appear around Yoh.  
  
The small blue spirits, though no bigger than the leaves of a tree, numbered well over twenty. The spirits collectively picked up Yoh at Yohmei's hand signals. The spirits lift Yoh into the air about a foot, which considering Yoh's height right now, is pretty high.  
  
Yohmei: He snaps his fingers as all the blue spirits vanish, dropping Yoh on the floor.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He lands on the floor hard. "OW!" (Does that really need a subtitle?)  
  
Chibi Anna: At seeing this, she can't help but utter a small giggle. She then takes a cup of tea form Yohmei and drinks it slowly.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He comes up to a kneeling position. "Owkay, not sow funnie!" (Okay, not so funny!)  
  
Chibi Anna: She puts down her teacup. "Well needer aur yew, Yow! Bee seewius mowr offen." (Well neither are you, Yoh. Be serious more often!) She was obviously holding back some tears form her previous encounter with Yoh, earlier that morning. *Ow, Yow, dat wuz a stewpid jowk. You weelie wanna sweep all dey mor dan yew wanna bee fwends wid me...* (*Oh, Yoh, that was a stupid joke. You really want to sleep all day more than you want to be friends with me...* Remember, the *'s represent thought.) (mutters to self) "Stewpid Yow..." (Stupid Yoh...)  
  
Yohmei: Overhearing Anna's sniping comments at Yoh, he tries to ease the topic of discussion off of Yoh's newfound work ethic deficit. "Um, Anna, you mentioned that you were looking forward to today because Kino is going to teach you to use your powers as an Itako, right?"  
  
Chibi Anna: She does not answer Yohmei. Instead, she uncrosses her arms and takes another drink from the teacup in front of her. She then stands up and walks off. (tonelessly) "I'wl get weddy fow Kinow." (I'll get ready for Kino.) She paces down the hall, towards her room, while staring down at the ground the whole time.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He rubs the back of his head, half out of confusion, and half out of having been dropped on his head by Yohmei's spirits. "Annah, wheyr' ya' gowin?" (Anna, where are you going?)  
  
Chibi Anna: "Awey. Howp yer happie, Yow!" (Away. Hope you're happy, Yoh!)  
  
A few seconds later, a door is heard being slid and slammed shut.  
  
Yohmei: He turns to Yoh slowly and stares at him sternly. "Yoh, why do I have the ominous feeling that you have something to do with this? Please tell me that it's just my imagination."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He shrugs his shoulders. "Pwobwee. Annah's weerd." (Probably. Anna's weird.) He drinks from his cup of tea.  
  
Yohmei: "Yoh, she lost her entire family early in her life. The only family she knows now is this one. So please, don't do something that would make her feel unwelcome, Yoh..."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He remorselessly drinks his tea. "Yuh-huh. We tawk aboud dis all da' time. 'Yow, down'd wet Annah feew weft owt', 'Yow, down'd bee meen tew Annah', 'Yow, down'd puwsh Annah awound', 'Yow-" (Uh-huh. We talk about this all the time. 'Yoh, don't let Anna feel left out.' 'Yoh, don't push Anna around.' 'Yoh-)  
  
Yohmei: "Yet we still have to keep bringing this up! Oh, Yoh, be careful of Anna's feelings, please..."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He shrugs his shoulders. "Hay, I dunno wud I dyd. I juzt wawded a byt mowr sweep, an shee gows aw teewy! Wud' I dew?" (Hey, I don't know what I did. I just wanted a bit more sleep, and she goes all teary! What did I do?)  
  
Yohmei: He sighs heavily, realizing that he can't seem to argue with Yoh enough to prove his point to the immature chibi-shaman. "It doesn't sound like you meant it, this time. So apologize to Anna right now."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Um, wew, yeh seey, dew's a pwobwem wid dat..." (Um, well, you see, there's a problem with that...)  
  
A few minutes later, Yoh freezes up as he is about to knock on Anna's door. Yohmei stands beside Yoh, signaling him to knock already.  
  
Chibi Yoh: His balled up hand is inches away from Anna's door, but he doesn't knock. "Um, wew, I wuwnd yew." (Um, well, I warned you.) He knocks nervously.  
  
Yohmei: "I don't recall having been the one who hurt Anna's feelings." He leans against the wall, next to Anna's door.  
  
Chibi Anna: She slowly slides open her door. Her face was red, though not of embarrassment; more of a red face as if she'd been crying profusely. Her tear-stained blonde hair stuck to her cheeks and her dress. She held her empty teacup lightly in her right hand. (toneless) "Oh, Yow. It'z yew." (Oh Yoh. It's you.)  
  
Chibi Yoh: "U, Annah, I, u..." (Uh, Anna, I uh...) He rubs the back of his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "I wunted tew... u... apowojyz. Fow... huwtin yowr feewins. Sowee, Annah..." (I wanted to... uh... apologize. For... hurting your feelingns. Sorry, Anna.)  
  
Chibi Anna: *Yowmey muzta fowsd Yow tew apowojyz. Yow wuddend apowojyz tew me. He haytz me.* (Yohmei must have forced Yoh to apologize. Yoh wuoldn't apologize to me. He hates me.) "Yow... cum cwosew, pweze." (Yoh, come closer, please.) Yoh: He nervously steps forward, closer to Anna.  
  
Chibi Anna: "Yow..." (Yoh...) She swiftly smashes her teacup over Yoh's head.  
  
Chibi Yoh: "OW, dat weewy huwt!" (Ow, that really hurt!) He puts his arms over his head, cringing in pain. *I shuwd weewy pwotekt mi hed wen I tawk tew Annah. I shuwd stawt wewyng mi hedfonz tew shewd me.* (*I should really protect my head when I eald to Anna. I should start wearing my headphones to shield me.*)  
  
Chibi Anna: "Iv yew hayt me, den I hayt yew, Yow!" (If you hate me, then I hate you, Yoh!) She slaps Yoh hard across the cheek, sending him flying back to the opposite wall of the hall. She then slams her door shut.  
  
Yohmei: He walks away, leaving Yoh in a heap across the hall. (to himself) "I told Yoh to be careful not to hurt Anna's feelings, but does he listen to me? No..."  
  
(A/N: Well, now we know a few things about the characters. We now know:  
  
-how wimpy Anna was as a chibi, hehehe, kidding!  
  
-the origins of 'the slap' which any Anna-fan can identify,  
  
-why Yoh wears headphones,  
  
-where the 'lazy slacker' line came from, yet another Anna thing,  
  
-why Anna's so... er... grouchy, to be polite  
  
... and there's much more to tell, like:  
  
-How did Yoh and Anna end up getting engaged?  
  
-What happened in the duel between Yami and Priest Seto? (did NOT forget that this was a crossover!)  
  
-And just what do I plan to do to Chibi Yoh and Chibi Anna next time?  
  
All that and more in the next chapter! So stick around and remember, plaster it on my forehead for all I really care (which in fact makes my job a whole lot easier anyway), DrakeTheDuelist doesn't own Shaman King or Yugioh!) 


	4. Bwakmayowd!

(A/N: Okay, looks like we'll need another chibi in here! Can you figure out who that chibi is? (I used the chibi's english name because I can pronounce it easier.)  
  
Yeah, that and I don't own Shaman King or Yugioh. Too tired to get creative with my disclaimer.  
  
Oh, and I would like to thank all who send their (in some cases chapterly) reviews for their support to this fic. Which, if you're reading this, probably means you.)  
  
Chibi Begininngs: Chapter 4: Bwak-mayowd!  
  
Anna had just slammed the door on Yoh, despite poor Yoh's attempts to apologize to her. She darts back over to her bed and continues bawling heavily, burying her face in the bright pink pillow near her sleeping bag.  
  
Chibi Anna: After crying for a while, she lifts her head up from her pillow. "Yow cuwd nevew wuv a sdweed owfan. Hez guna be da Shawmun Kyng yn a wittew byt, an hew wan' a pweteew, nycew guwl fuw hys Shamun Kween. I dun' hav a chayns." (Yoh could never love a street orphan. He's going to be the Shaman King, and he'll want a prettier, nicer girl for his Shaman Queen. I don't have a chance.)  
  
Chibi (drum role, please...) Tamara: She slides open Anna's door and enters her room. The pink-haired girl in a light blue kimono grinned with malice at Anna's misfortunes. (mocking) "Aw, wuza mattew? Diw Yow huwt yowr feewins agin?" (Aw, what's the matter? Did Yoh hurt your feelings again?)  
  
Chibi Anna: She lifts her hgead off her pillow again. *Dat voys. Nod ugen!* (*That voice. Not again!*) "Shuv awf, Tamawa!" (Shove off, Tamara!) She violently throws her pillow at Tamara.  
  
Chibi Tamara: She easily sidesteps out of the way of the pillow that Anna threw at her. "Uh-uh-uh. Twowin piwwows ad de appwentis idn' vewy nyse. Iy bed dat Kenow an Yowmey wud wuv tew heew abowd hou yew twyd tew utak me. Dat cuwd vewy wew ged yew twown aut." (Uh-uh-uh. Throwing pillows at the apprentice isnt very nice. I bet Kino and Yohmei would love to hear about how you tried to attack me. That could very well get you thrown out.)  
  
Chibi Anna: She quickly jumps to her feet and runs over to Tamara, at whick point she wrings her hands around Tamara's neck. She shook Tamara back and forth. "Juz twy id, Pynkee! Yow'll wiv ta wegwed id! Iv dun tew much stewpid stuf fer ya, an Im nod afwayd uv yer gawsip eniemow!" (Just try it, Pinkie! You'll live to regret it! I'v dun too much stupid stuff for you, and I'm not afraid of your gossip anymore!) She throws Tamara to the floor.  
  
Chibi Tamara: She turns up to face a fuming Anna. "Wew meybie yew shud, cuz I sah yew an Yow wasd nyte..." She giggles.  
  
Chibi Anna: She gasps in embarrassment. "Haw much dyd ya se?"  
  
Chibi Tamara: She stands to her feet and brushes herself off. "O, Iy dunno. Iy gess fyv ow syx." (Oh, I don't know, I guess five or six.)  
  
Chibi Anna: She wrings her hands around Tamara's neck again and shakes her violently. "Fyv ow syx wud?" (Five or six what?)  
  
Chibi Tamara: "GAAK! Piktuws, uv couwz." (GAAK! Pictures, of course."  
  
Chibi Anna: Her eyes shot open and she loosened her grip around Tamara's neck. "Piktuws?!"  
  
Chibi Tamara: "Uh-huw. An I tink dat Yow miyt be sweed awn ya, Annah. Wich juwsd myt distwakt Yow fwom bekomin da Shawmin Kyng. Ya' now dat cuwd ged ya' twown awt o' heyr." (Uh-huh. And I think that Yoh might be sweet on you, Anna. Which just might distract Yoh form becoming the Shaman King. You know, that could get you thrown out of here.) She snickers.  
  
Chibi Anna: She drops to her knees, letting go of Tamara entirely. "OWKAY! I gad id. Wud naw?"  
  
Chibi Tamara: She grins widely. "Bud wemembew, wike awwayz, yf ya tew aniebudie, Iy giv owd da piktyurz. Den, Yowmey an Keenow ged tew see haw cyuuwt yew wuk kwadewd yn Yow's awmz... Hehehe." (But remember, like always, if you tell anybody, I give out the pictures. Then, Yohmei and Kino get to see how cuute you look cradled in Yohs arms... Hehehe)  
  
Chibi Anna: She grits her teeth. *Sumdey, I'w ged yew bak! Yew won' ged awey wid diz!* (*Someday, I'll get you back! You won't get away with this!*)  
  
Chibi Tamara: "Yew cen stawd wid MIY chowz. Wich iz to skwub da fwowz. AWW de fwowz! Puwfikt fow yew. Da kynd dezewvin ta bee douwn own da fwoow, bouwin tew us aw!" (You can start with MY chores. Which is to scrub the floors. ALL the floors! Perfect for you. The kind deserving to be down on the floor, bowwing to us all!)  
  
Chibi Anna: She gets up off her knees and walks out the door. (muttering) "Diy Tammie!" (Die, Tammy!)  
  
Later that afternoon, Yohmei and Yoh walk in from the main entrance. Yoh wears a towel over his shoulders.  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Aw, dowz sikigawmeez keyp awn nokin me in da wivew aw da tiym." (Aw, the shikigamis knock me into the river all the time!)  
  
Suddenly, Anna races across the floor, wiping a path in front of her with a towel. Almost knocking over Yoh and Yohmei, she immediately disappears around the corner.  
  
Chibi Anna: She calls back down the hall. "Sawee, Yowmey! Gawta kween da fwows! Down twack duwt on da fwowz!" (Sorry, Yohmei! Gotta' clean the floors! Don't track dirt on the floors!)  
  
Yohmei: He stares dumbfounded to the corner that Anna just raced behind. "Hmm. That's strange. Cleaning the floors is Tamara's job today. So why is Anna doing this for her?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He just now catches his balance. "Wike Iy sed. Annah's weerd." (Like I said. Anna's weird.) He dries his hair off on the towel on his shoulders.  
  
Yohmei: He continued to stare at the corner. "Yoh, go ahead and get ready for lunch. I'm going to have a word with Anna."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Owkey. Bud bee cawfuw." (Okay, but be careful.)  
  
Yohmei: He walks down the hallway, which Anna came down.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He walks down the hall the other way. He keeps his eyes on Yohmei, and he notices that Yohmei is not watching his back. He turns around and follows Yohmei. *Dis iz mi chaynz tew fynuwee figyuwr aut ubowt Annah. I'm gunna' fowwow Yowmey an seey wut he seeyz. Sow I cun fynd awt stuwf ubowd Annah.* (*This is my chance to finally figure out about Anna. I'm gonna' follow Yohmei and see what he sees. So I can find out stuff about Anna.*)  
  
(A/N: Well, chapter end. I would've done more, but I'm a little cramped for time, that's all that my title suggested would be in the chapter, and, most importantly, I GOT MY YUGIOH DVDS AT LONG LAST! So, in honor of such, I think I'll be a little merciful on poor Chibi Anna and close out the chapter now.  
  
Oh, and a small thing to think about with Japanese pronunciations and making connections, you Shaman King / Yugioh fans may enjoy this little insight: Why does Yoh have such a weird name? Well, now that I own Japanese anime, I think I can answer that.  
  
Asakura Yoh. His first name is pronounced just like it sounds, 'Yo'. Like the slang. And Joey Wheeler's japanese name is Katsuya Jounouchi. I'm getting somewhere with this.  
  
I've heard Jounouchi pronounced (albeit wrongly) 'joe-now-chee' 'Joe-' like the name, '-now-' like not later, and '-chee', like that stuff in Jackie Chan Adventures. However, being an actual anime-owner, I know better. The Japanese pronunciation is supposed to sound more like 'jow-o-no- chee', with four syllables. But in Japanese, J's sound a lot like Y's when said with a Japanese accent, like in the Yugioh anime, making Jounouchi actually pronounced 'yow-o-no-chee'. Also, in some japanese manga scanlations I've seen, sometimes he's called 'Jou' for shorthand of Jounouchi. And if Jounouchi would be 'Joey', then 'Jou' would logically be 'Joe' to us American people. But 'Jou', using the above logic about Y's and J's, would be pronounced 'Yow'. Sounds like 'Yoh', doesn't it? So does that make 'Yoh', as in 'Asakura Yoh' a Japanese pronunciation of 'Joe'? Hmmm...  
  
Thought you'd like!  
  
I don't own Yugioh or Shaman King. But at least now, I own a piece of Japanese Yugioh anime ALL TO MYSELF! MUAHAHAHAHA!) 


	5. A Wed Skawf

(A/N: While still pretty happy with my DVD arrivals, Chibi Anna still rests in the harbor of my good mood. For now. Freaky stuff about to happen. But nothing that 1) the chibis can't handle, or 2) that I own. That was my disclaimer, for those of us who laugh late.  
  
Small warning to keep a box of tissues nearby, because this chapter tends to be a real 'waterworks' of a chapter, if you catch my drift. Well, I warned you. This is NOT a chapter for the faint of heart!)  
  
Chibi Beginnings:  
  
Chapter 5: A Wed Skawf  
  
Anna had spent all day scrubbing the floors, completely at the mercy of Tamara's blackmailing photo. With night upon the Asakura Complex at last, Anna now rests in her sleeping bag, hanging her head over a large textbook, barely awake.  
  
Chibi Anna: (reading aloud) "An dew wew menny Ziggiewatts in aynchent Messy-potadoa..." (And there were many Ziggurats in ancient Mesopotamia...) She turns through the thick textbook by a large handful of pages. She begins to read aloud again. "...an da Wowmin Empyow wuz wed bi Joweuz Seezow..." (...and the Roman Empire was led by Julius Caesar...) She slams her forhead on the open book. *Aw, wud guwd iz aw dis Iytuhkow twaynin wen Iy'v gadda dew wudeva Tamawa sez. Owr dat bwad'll ged me twown owd.* (*Oh, what good is all this Itako training when I've got to do whatever Tamara say. Or that brat'll get me thrown out.*) She lifts her head from the book, peeling the pages off her face. She closees the large textbook, pulls her soft, pink pillow over, and lays her head down on the pillow. *Ow evun wuwz.* (*Or even worse.*) She closes her eyes.  
  
(flashback: earlier that day)-----  
  
Anna wears a stained pink dress while kneeling on the hall floor. She scrubs the floor slowly and vigorously with a white, tattered rag. She wrings out the rag over a bucket at her right. Yohmei slowly walks up behind her.  
  
Yohmei: "Anna, Kino is waiting for you. She told me to find you as soon as Yoh came in so that you could start your own training."  
  
Chibi Anna: She continues scrubbing the floors, not even turning to face Yohmei to respond to him. "Tew Keenow I'm dewin sumfin imowtend." (Tell Kino I'm doing something important.)  
  
Yohmei: He raises an eyebrow. "More important that training, eh? Is something wrong, Anna? Normally, I'd have to punish you by taking away your training?"  
  
Chibi Anna: *Nowmuwee. Bud nawd if yew noo dat I... dat I... dat I... wuv Yow. Bud iv yew kik me owd, Yow'd nevew weewyz dat...* (*Normally. But not if you knew that I... that I..., that I... love Yoh. But if you kick me out, Yoh would never know that...*)  
  
Yohmei: "Anna, why are you doing Tamara's chores? You scrubbed the floor last week. And you were exhausted afterwards, I might add."  
  
Chibi Anna: She stares blankly at the floor, scrubbing the same part of the floor with the same circular motion each and every time. She doesn't hear Yohmei at all.  
  
Yohmei: "AHEM!"  
  
Chibi Anna: She hears Yohmei loud and clear, then begins scrubbing the floor harder, faster, and more vigorously. "Owkay, Iy'm kweenin, Iy'm kweenin! Bee dun in a jyfee!" (Okay, I'm cleaning, I'm cleaning! Be done in a jiffy!) While quickly running the rag across the floor, she knocks over the water bucket. Water spills out across the floor. Anna frantically turns the bucket upright again, but all the water had already spilled out. "NOOOOUUUU!" (NOOOOOOOOO!) She kneels in the newly made puddle, as her dress hangs into the puddle. A tear slowly runs down her face.  
  
Yohmei: "Anna, I'll get Yoh to pick up from here. You have training with Kino still."  
  
Chibi Anna: "Tankz, Yowmey." (Thanks, Yohmei.) She stands up slowly, her bright pink dress now stained and dripping wet.  
  
(flashback ends)-----  
  
Chibi Anna: She hears a creak as her eyes shoot open.  
  
The creek comes from the door to Anna's room as a small hand carrying a red cloth scarf slipped into Anna's room, dropping the scarf and a small wad of paper at the base of the door, then withdrawing immediately.  
  
Chibi Anna: She sees the hand drop the scarf and the paper, and though not seeing who it was, she could definitely make a good educated guess. She wants to speak, but only small squeaks comes out at first. (half-squeak, half-whisper) "...yow...iz zat yew? ...yow?" (...Yoh... is that you? ...Yoh?) But somehow, in her heart of hearts, she didn't even need a response to know that she had guessed right as to the identity of her visitor. *It iz yew, Yow. Iy now yt.* (*It is you, Yoh. I know it.*) She slowly ascends from out of her sleeping bag, wearing a short black skirt, stretching from shoulder to mid-thigh. Slowly, pausing at the sound of the creaking floor, she sneaks her way over to the red scarf and the crumpled note. She crouches down and picks up the note first. She uncrumples the note to reveal a short note, though she can't make out what it says without any light. She takes both the note and the red scarf over to the window, holding one item in each of her hands. When she gets to the window, the writing on the paper becomes clearer.  
  
The note was written with crayon, in a very childish chicken-scratch of handwritten font. The note reads: "Deew Annah, Yowmey towd me dat yew tawt yew wew weevin. Sow iy wuntid tew gyv yew dis skawf dat my gwama hewpd mee mayk. Doun fowged mee, pweez Annah..." (Dear Anna, Yohmei told me that you thought you were leaving. So I wanted to give you this scarf that my grandma help me make. Don't forget me, please Anna...)  
  
Chibi Anna: At reading this portion of the note, her eyes overflows with tears as she crumples the note in her hand and holds it to her chest. She falls to her knees, crying, not bothering to read the rest of the note. *Ownwee wun pewsun yn da howz spewz miy naym wid an h! Yow, tanks! Yew wew nevva a guwd spewwew, bud tanks!* (*Only one person in the house spells my name with an h! Yoh, thanks! You were never a good speller, but thanks!*) After pulling herself together, she picks up the rest of the note and reads it.  
  
The rest of the note read: "...bud pweez down' gow 'way, cuz..." (...but please don't go away, becuase...) The words "I wike yew" (I like you) were written, but were crossed out, then "I weewy wike yew" (I really like you) was written, but that was crossed out too. Finally, after all the chicken- scratch, the rest of the note read "...I wuv yew. I wuv yew Annah, an Iy'm nad asaymd to tew yew. Bud if yew weewy wanna weeve, Iy caw tew muc tew stawp yew, sow guwdby, Annah." (...I love you. I love you Anna, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. But if you really want to leave, I care too much to stop you, so goodbye, Anna.)  
  
Chibi Anna: Her hands tremble violently as she reads the last two words of the letter aloud. "...guwdby, Annah..." (...goodbye Anna...) The note falls from her hands and onto the floor as her hands tremble. Tears well up in her eyes until she can no longer hold them. She collapses face-first onto the floor and bursts into tears. "Yow... Hee sed... guwdby..." (Yoh... He said... goodbye...)  
  
Chibi Anna: After a while, she gets back to her feet and leaves her room. Later, she returns with two things, one of Yohmei's walking sticks, and a necklace of blue beads. She spreads out her new red scarf on the floor, into a square shape. In the center of that square, she places her favorite pink pillow, the blue beaded necklace that she got, her wet and stained pink dress that she likes to wear, and the small, crumpled piece of paper that she was reading only a little bit ago. She wraps up this small bit of stuff into her scarf and ties it up, then places it on the end of the walking stick she brought. She doesn't say a word through the whole time she packs.  
  
The wooden doors to the stone fence of the Asakura Complex swung slowly open with an eerie creak. Anna stepped out the wooden gate, carrying over her shoulder the walking stick with the filled scarf at the end. She then turns back, to look on the Asakura Complex one last time.  
  
Chibi Anna: She shuts her eyes. *O, spewitz, I dunno yf yew cun heew mee cuz I didn' lurn enie uv dowz fancee sayawnsiz, bud I down' weewy cayw. Juwsd yf deyr iz a spewit owt deyw dat cun heew mee, pweez, wutch owva Yow. Pweez, dat'z aw Iy azk.* (*Oh spirits, I don't know if you can hear me because I didn't learn any of those fancy séances, but I don't really care. Just if there is a spirit out there that can hear me, please, watch over Yoh. Please, that's all I ask.*) She quickly turns the other way and runs off into the dark before she changes her mind.  
  
(A/N: Whew, what a (sniff, sniff) chapter! That was a real (sniff, sniff, sniff) tear-jerker near the end! (sniff, sniff...) I promised myself I wouldn't cry... and I STILL plan to uphold that promise, cuz' it ain't over till DrakeTheDuelist says so! And there's still more to come! Think 'happy ending'. Besides, like I said, Anna is still in my good graces, being the happy, 'I-have-new-anime-DVDs' sort of guy I am right now. And even way back when, four score and three fics ago, to "Yami Bakura Goes to Funbari", I probably STILL would've thought what I did to Anna was a bit extreme!  
  
Well, if it's not abundantly clear, yeah, yeah, I don't own Shaman King or Yugioh, I was getting to that, but that's not the point I was getting to. I mean to say that this is NOT, I repeat NOT, with a big, fat caps-lock, NOT THE END OF THE FIC! There is some Yugioh stuff to come, and I still need to patch up some loose ends.) 


	6. Annah iyn da Owfanidj

(A/N: Finally, we get to see some Yugioh people again! And checking form the title and the suggested time period (six years ago), you probably could figure it out. I don't own Yugioh. I don't own Shaman King, and this is the first time in a while that I have had to really say that I don't own either.)  
  
Chibi Beginnings: Chapter 6: Annah iyn da Ofanidg  
  
Chibi Anna sleeps in a dark, damp alley all night, next to a dumpster, with her only shelter from the cold and rain being her short black dress, which was really too short and wet to help anyway, the crude and stinking buildings that surrounded her, and the red scarf that barely covers her body entirely. She shivers as the wind races over her body.  
  
Suddenly, a bright spotlight is shined on Anna, accompanied by a deep voice.  
  
Voice: "Oh no! Hey, get over here! There's somebody sleeping under this red cloth over here!"  
  
A strong and powerful hand lifts the scarf, finding a short and deathly pale little blonde-haired girl in a black dress, shivering in her sleep. Her arms are scarred and dirty, her hair is wet and messy, and her face is smudged, bleeding lightly, and is freezing cold to the touch.  
  
Another Voice: "Oh my, you did find someone! Is she even still alive?"  
  
Voice: "Yes, by some miracle, she's still alive, but not for long. We've got to get her to the nearest homeless shelter. Otherwise, she'll freeze to death."  
  
(somewhere else, next morning)-----  
  
Chibi Anna: She wakes up, lifting her heavy eyelids while groaning. She lifts her head up very lowly off the ground and looks around at her new surroundings.  
  
Sleeping children littered the floor, almost impairing anyone unfortunate enough to have to walk around in that room.  
  
Chibi Anna: *An owfanidj... Tamawa awweyz sed Iy'd end uwp in heew wun o deez. Nevew tawt she wuz wyt.* (*An orphanage... Tamara always said I'd end up in here one of these days. Never thought she was right.*)  
  
A short, brown-haired boy in a sweater and blue jeans leans over Anna as she wakes up.  
  
Chibi Seto: (A/N: Well, he's not only twelve years old, but he's highly intelligent to boot. So don't expect any chibi talk out of Seto. Sorry. But Seto falls under chibi simply because the fic is entitled "CHIBI Beginnings, not "Pre-Teen Beginnings".) "She's awake. Hey, Mokie, the new girl's awake!"  
  
Chibi Anna: She yawns softly. "Cuwd ya pweez nawd shaut dis uwie inda mownin?" (Could you please not shout this early in the morning?) She rubs her eyes with her hands, then she stretches out. As she stretches, she reaches around her neck as her eyes shoot open. (to Seto) "Uh, hay, wewz miy stuwf?!" (Uh, hey, where's all my stuff?!) She feels around the area she woke up in, glancing around frantically "Miy nekwus an pynk dewss! An my skawf! An da smaw peeys uv paypuw!" (My necklace and pink dress! And my scarf! And the small piece of paper!) She wraps her arms around Seto's legs tightly, staring up at him with big, watery 'puppy-dog-eyes'. "Wud hawpnd tew aw uv miy stuwf?!"  
  
Chibi Seto: Unable to stare at 'that' expression, (LOL!) He turns away from Anna. (coldly) "I'm sorry. I saw when they brought you in last night. And I saw most of the stuff you mentioned. Some of it was badly damaged."  
  
Chibi Anna: (verging on crying) "Damidgd?" (Damaged?) Her eyes well up with tears as Seto continues.  
  
Chibi Seto: "The pink dress was badly soiled and was ruined. The pillow was so drenched that it was virtually a sponge. That walking stick was moldy and wet. And the piece of paper..." He stares at the opposite wall, trying to avoid the subject.  
  
Chbi Anna: She tugs on his legs. "Wud?! Dat stuwf wuz impowtand tew mee! Wud hawpind tew da paypuw?! Teww mee!" (What?! That stuff was important to me! What happened to the paper?! Tell me!)  
  
Chibi Seto: He turns to face Anna, then kneels down to her. "That paper. It must have been very important to you, telling from your expressions. I'm so sorry. It was, uh, well... It was... drenched. Destroyed. Ruined. Totally soaked. It peeled apart at the slightest touch." He can just about see Anna's heart break as he looked into her eyes.  
  
Chibi Anna: "Nou!" (No!) She buries her face in her hands and cries her eyes out.  
  
Chibi Seto: He attempts to cradle Anna in his arms, trying to comfort her. "Now, now, just let it all go."  
  
Chibi Anna: "Now, YEW wed gow!" (No, YOU let go!) She shoves Seto over on his back, then she continues to cry into her hands.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He ducks his head through the open door, into the room. "Wew, whooz da noo kyd, Settow?" (Well, who's the new kid, Seto?)  
  
Chibi Seto: He rubs his backside as he climbs off the floor. "Ugh, she's strong. No doubt about that." He rubs the back of his head, stands up, amd walks away, leaving Anna on her knees, with her face buried in her tear- moistened hands, surrounded by many other sleeping children.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He stares back at the crying bonde girl in the black dress. "Bud hew iz shee? An wud'z shee kwyin abowd?" (But who is she? And what is she crying about?)  
  
Chibi Seto: He turns Mokuba away and leads him out of the room. "Leave her alone. It's her first day here. The first days are always the worst."  
  
(later that day)-----  
  
Later that day, Anna sits on the swing set in the playground, completely isolated. Her hair sticks out every which way, and her black dress is stained and wrinkled. Some relatively small distance away, the other kids that were about her age are playing with a ragged and worn ut miniature soccer ball, giggling and yelling. But alone on the swings, Anna seems too distant form all that joyful energy.  
  
Chibi Anna: She grips the cold metal chains of the swings tightly as she stares at the ground. Suddenly, through all the melancholy of the voices, she picks out two familiar voices.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He practically drags Seto behind him by tugging on his arms, as Seto tries to resist. "Bud Settow, Iy'm juwzt twyin ta bee fwendwee." (But Seto, I'm just trying to be friendly.)  
  
Chibi Seto: "Mokie, she already made it clear that she wants to be left alone."  
  
Chibi Anna: She glances up at Mokuba and Seto as they approach. "Wudda' yew dewin' awownd mee? Iy'm da noo kyd." (What're you doing around me? I'm the new kid.)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He takes a seat in the swing next to Anna. "Settow an I wew da noo kydz beefow. Id'z now fuwn, Iy'ul tew ya! Id wudev ben niys yf sumwun beesydz Settow wuw dew fow mee." (Seto and I were the new kids before. It's no fun, Ill tell you! It would've been nice if someone besides Seto were there for me.)  
  
He slowly begins to swing on the swing that he sat on. He glances to Anna. "Iy'm Mowkewbah. Wudz yewr naym?" (I'm Mokuba. What's your name?) He begins to swing high into the air.  
  
Chibi Anna: She flinches away. *Ow, Iy wawd tew shuwn hym awf, bud Iy juwzt kaynd. Hee'z sow niyz * (*Oh, I want to shun him off, but I just can't. He's so nice.*) (timidly) "Hiy... Iy'm Annah." (Hi... I'm Anna.) She slowly begins to swing, but can't seem to get high into the air like Mokuba does. She sighs deeply. Then, she feels a sleight push from behind her, allowing her to swing on the swings like Mokuba was. She giggles.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He glances back behind Anna, to where his big brother stood, pushing Anna on the swings. "Hay, Settow!"  
  
Chibi Anna: She glances back behind her, at Seto. "Sew yew muzd bee Settow, wyt?" (So you must be Seto, right?)  
  
Chibi Seto: "Yep, that's me. Mokie and I are brothers. That's why we're always together." He continues pushing Anna on the swings.  
  
Chibi Anna: (in disbelief) "Weewie? Yew tew aw bwuddewz? Yew tew muzd bee pwiddy wukkie ta hav eech uddew awownd." (Really? You two are brothers? You two must be pretty lucky to have each other around.)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Yew bedt! Settow's teechyn mee haw ta pwey Chezz wyk dat pwo giy awn TV. Wud'z 'iz naym, Settow?" (You bet! Seto's teaching me how to play chess like that pro guy on TV. What's his name, Seto?"  
  
Chibi Seto: "You mean Gozuboro? Uh-huh. He's the world chess champion, and chess is my hobby of choice. Hey, Anna? What do you do for fun?"  
  
Chibi Anna: "Um, wew, hm, I havynd puwd much tawt inta dat. I weewie down' now. Bud I'd pwobabwee sey, uh, miy twaynin." (Um, well, hmm, I haven't put much thought into that. I really don't know. But I'd probably say, uh, my training.)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: (chuckling lightly) "Twaynin? Wud, aw ya pwannin awn bekumin an Owimpik twak wunnew?" (Traininng? What, are you planning on becoming an Olympic track runner?)  
  
Chibi Seto: He glances at Mokuba. "Now, now, Mokie, don't make fun."  
  
Chibi Anna: She freezes up. "Um, yewr seyin dat dis izund a skewul fow shawminz?" (Um, you're saying that this isn't a school for Shamans?)  
  
Chibi Seto: He chuckles and nods his head back and forth. "No, this is an orphanage. Shamans aren't real, ya' know."  
  
Chibi Anna: *Auw tew!* (*Are too!*) She loses her grip on the chains of the swing right as Seto pushes her, knocking her off the swing, into the dirt below. "OW!" She lands face-first on the ground.  
  
Chibi Seto: "Anna! You okay?" He rushes over to where Anna laid on the ground, and holds out his hand. "Sorry. Didn't mean to over push you."  
  
Chibi Anna: She slowly comes to her feet. "Iy'm owkey, bowyz. Iy'm tuffew den yew tynk." (I'm okay, boys. I'm tougher than you think.) She stands to her feet, with not a tear or a scar on her face. She paces towards the orphanage building.  
  
(later that evening)-----  
  
All the kids at the orphanage were gathered around several large tables. Anna sat at the table at the end of the room closet to the large exit doors.  
  
A tall, brown-haired woman walks up behind Anna.  
  
Woman: "Excuse me, honey." She kneels down to Anna.  
  
Chibi Anna: She sees the woman approach her, and she glances around before pointing to herself. "Huw, mee?" (Who, me?)  
  
Woman: "Yes, you. You've just enrolled in our facility today, but we need a record of who you are, but we don't know your name. I need you to tell me your name, and how old you are. Okay, honey?"  
  
Chibi Anna: She stares blankly at the woman for a second. (innocently) "Dew yew hayv miy stuwf?" (Do you have my stuff?)  
  
Woman: "Your stuff?" She chuckles lightly at the cuteness and innocence of Anna's comment. She places a finger on her chin. "Oh, your stuff! Oh, I'm so sorry, honey, but we threw a lot of it out." She shakes her head back and forth.  
  
Chibi Anna: "Iy duwn cayw. Az woung az Iy hayv sumfin ta wemembew miy owd howm biy." (I don't care. As long as I have something to remember my old home by.)  
  
Chibi Seto: He approaches Anna and the woman. "Hey, just give her all her things back, okay?"  
  
Woman: She turns to Seto. "Oh, there you go again, Seto. Always sticking up for the new kid. Sorry, Seto, but you know the policy by now. I can't let every orphan that comes in here keep everything they want. Stuff has to go."  
  
Chibi Seto: An irritated stare appears on his face. "Her name is Anna. Not 'honey', or 'new girl', or 'some other orphan'. And you're right about one thing. I do know your policy. The policy that states clearly that as long as none of your space is used up, Anna can keep whatever she wants to!" He grins as he pulls a large pamphlet out from behind his back. He held his thumb in the small booklet, holding it open for the woman to see.  
  
Chibi Anna: She glances back over her shoulder at the triumphant Seto. *Tanks, Settow.* (*Thanks, Seto.*) She blushes lightly.  
  
Woman: She takes the booklet from Seto, and holds it up to a light. Then, she mutters something under her breath quickly, while clearly frustrated. "Seto, do you have nothing better to do than look for the loopholes in the orphanage's rules?"  
  
Chibi Seto: "Hey, you put my little brother and I through a living nightmare with our inductions into this pit of an orphanage. And I ALWAYS keep score!"  
  
Woman: She stares down at Seto, realizing she had lost Yet another argument to the strategic, quick-thinking Seto. "Okay, Seto. Her name is Anna, and she gets her stuff back. You win."  
  
Chibi Anna: She stares at Seto in awe of how he stood up to that woman who came up to her. "Settow, haw'd ya' dew dat?" (Seto, how did you do that?)  
  
Chibi Seto: "Don't thank me, Anna. Just watch out for her!" He points to the woman he had just confronted.  
  
Woman: She walked towards a closet, with the label "Storage" above it.  
  
Chibi Seto: "That witch is the worst. But if we all stick together, she won't boss us around just to line her own pockets. But she can't, or at least not as long as I'm around."  
  
Chibi Anna: She grabs onto Seto's hand for protection.  
  
Chibi Seto: "Just remember, there's no 'I' in 'orphanage'."  
  
Chibi Anna: *Weewie? Now 'I' iyn 'owfanidj'? Senz wen? Aw wew, nevvuw mynd.* (*Really? There's no 'I' in 'orphanage'? Since when? Oh well, never mind.*) (shyly) "Tanks, Settow."  
  
Voice: A young boy's voice echoes from across the room. "Aw man, how come Seto gets all the cute ones?"  
  
Chibi Anna: She quickly withdraws away from Seto. "Um, sowee. Iy meen, uw, wew, yowr weewy niyz an aw, bud... Iy..." (Um, sorry. I mean, uh, well, you're really nice and all, but... I...) She blushes brightly.  
  
Chibi Seto: He shrugs his shoulders, not disturbed by what Anna had said to him. "Nobody's forcing you to do anything, or like anybody, Anna." He turns away, staring at the ceiling. "Well, personally, I stick up or the orphans for the thrill of thumbing my nose at the counselor, to be honest. Next to Chess, that's my favorite past time."  
  
Chibi Anna: She leaves the table and paces towards the closet, where the woman had disappeared to. (timidly, to Seto) "Tankz. Fuw unduwstandyn." (Thanks. For understanding.)  
  
Voice: That sniping voice, from the same young boy as before, piped up again. "Aha, so ya' can't win 'em all, can you Seto?"  
  
Chibi Seto: He turns his attention to that irritating voice across the room. (frustrated) "Rrr, shut up, kid!"  
  
Chibi Anna: She enters the closet marked "Storage", following the woman.  
  
Woman: She pulled out a small box from a shelf. She pulls out a blue beaded necklace and a bright red scarf.  
  
Chibi Anna: "Ow, yayyayyay, ya didun' twow aud aw uv miy stuwf!" (Oh, yay, yay, yay, you didn't throw out all my stuff!) She jumps up and down in ecstatic joy as she runs up to the woman and snatches the blue necklace and scarf from her. She quickly prances in the opposite direction, out of the closet.  
  
Woman: She knelt down at the box, having had Anna's blue necklace and red scarf snagged out of her hands. She remains frozen in place, totally dumfounded. *Was that the same timid girl I talked to before?*  
  
(A/N: Yay, yay, yay, I'm finally done rewriting this chapter! I think I'll join Chibi Anna in a happy dance right about now! (LOL)  
  
And that 'thing' between Chibi Seto and Chibi Anna, how many of you actually saw that coming? Honestly. Even I didn't, and I'm the author! Hey, I said I was gonna' be sympathetic towards Anna. Didn't necessarily say how.  
  
I don't own Yugioh or Shaman King. And there's more Yugioh stuff coming up. Meaning that I'm not done yet!  
  
But just out of curiosity, do you think Chibi Seto and Chibi Anna make a cute couple? Forget stuff in the present for just a second, just Anna and Seto. No future problems with irritating stepparents and stepbrothers, no engagements to any future Shaman Kings, no Egyptian God Monsters. Would they make a good couple had they met under different circumstances? You decide!  
  
And I'm closing in on my TENTH review, that's right, the big 1-0, the landmark of all reviews, so keep it up, all my adoring fans! And, if my math is correct, then by the time this is posted, I'll already have ten reviews! Though just remember: quality over quantity. Don't review just for the sake of it. Be honest.  
  
Going on Chapter 7, so, until next time, DrakeTheDuelsit bids you farewell!) 


	7. Giwd Twip

(A/N: Chapter 7 coming up now. Interesting character introduced here, but I doubt you know the character by this name. I pretty much set up to include this character ever since chapter 2. I'd tell you the name, but I have found that many of you are very proficient at finding spoilers by 'accident', so I'd better not.  
  
On another note, I was quite stunned that all TWO reviews I got last chapter supported the Anna-Seto couple. This tells me two things: 1) you all have open minds and great imaginations, and 2) I'm not getting as many reviews as I used to. Man, I sure hope I didn't ward off the Yugioh crowd already...  
  
I don't own Yugioh or Shaman King. Now, story time.)  
  
Chibi Beginnings: Chapter 7: Giwd Twyp  
  
(Asakura Complex)-----  
  
Since the morning, Yoh, Yohmei, and Tamara have been looking all over for Anna. But, with Anna now at the orphanage, and the time now in the evening, the three take a sit down break. All three kneel around the dining room table.  
  
Yohmei: "Tamara, Yoh, did yo find Anna? She didn't go to her training with Kino, nor did she wake up in sight, for that matter."  
  
Chibi Tamara: She bites her lower lip, guilty about the trick she played on Anna. *Dys izund wud Iy pwannd. Iy ownwee wawntyd tew bee da Shawmin Kween! Iy didun'd weewie wanta eevykt Annah!* (*This isn't what I planned. I only wanted to be the Shaman Queen! I didn't really want to evict Anna!*)  
  
Chibi Yoh: A guilty look appears on his face. *Now! Id'z twu! Iy aym wesponsowbow fow Annah weevin! Iy wowd dat nowt tew hew, pwettie muwch seyin dat Iy diduwnd cayw iyf shee wuz awownd! Iy pweddie muwch kikd hew awda heyw! Idz miy fawdt!* (*No! It's true! I am responsible for Anna leaving! I wrote that note to her, pretty much telling her that I didn't care if she was around! I pretty much kicked her out of here! It's my fault!*)  
  
Yohmei: He stares at the twisted looks of guilt in the eyes of Yoh and Tamara. *I fear that both Yoh and Tamara know something about this. But on a different note, the now missing items include Anna's prayer beads, the red scarf that Yoh made for Anna, and one of my walking sticks, everything necessary for an Itake to run away from home. In hindsight, though, I hope that I wasn't too pressuring on her, trying to be too protective that I ended up being nosy. Because that may have driven Anna away from here.* He continues to stare into the guilty eyes of Yoh and Tamara. *And even greater yet is the fear that my grandson and apprentice would feel guilty about this to an extent where they are bothered too much to participate in the ever-approaching Shaman Tournament. Both Anna, and half a millennia of Asakura legacy is for naught, should Yoh and Tamara fail to become the Shaman King and Shaman Queen. Anna, and my ancestors, I beg of your forgiveness...*  
  
(orphanage, that night)-----  
  
As the night began to approach, the children begin to get tired and all flood into the nap room. But Seto does not join this crowd. Mokuba and Anna are the last ones to enter the nap room.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: (to Anna) "Da niytz aw a byd kwamp fow spayz. Ya' pwettie muwch gawda dekwaw an awea yowz an stil wid id." (The nights are a bit cramped for space. You pretty much have to declare an area yours and stick with it.)  
  
Chibi Anna: She follows Mokuba into the nap room. The room feels freezing cold, and a near impenetrable screen of children seep on the ground, trying to push each other over. The scene is sickening to Anna, as she looks on in despair. "Iy cawd beweev we gawda sweep iyn heew!" (I can't believe that we have to sleep in here!) She wraps her arms around herself, trying to keep warm. "Iz dew anie uddew pwayz tew sweep awownd heew?" (Is there any other place to sleep around here?)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He nods his head back and forth as he attempts to not step on any kids as he tries to navigate around as he walks. "Wew, Settow'z gawd dys sistum dat wuwks fow hym. Hee hydz an avoydz da kownsewow sew hee duzen'd hayv tew sweep iyn heew. An hee wukz iyn own uz an puwwz owd aniebudie dat wukz tew cowd. Settow duzen'd sweep, sez hee wiykz aztwonomee, bud Iy now beddew." (Well, Seto's got this system that works for him. He hides and avoids the counselor so he doesn't have to sleep in here. And he looks in on us and pulls out anybody that looks too cold. Seto doesn't sleep, saying that he likes astronomy, but I know better.)  
  
Chibi Anna: "Bud wiy iz dis woom sew kowd?" (But why is this room so cold?)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Da kownzewow sayvz munee fow evwee degwee da tewmowsdad geds tuwnd dauwn. Id'z aw abowd da Yin deez deyz. Settow faund da tewmowsdad, buwd id'z wokd biy da kownsewow. Bud Settow gesses dat id'z gawda bee fweezin in heew." (The counselor saves money for every degree the thermostat gets turned down. It's all about the Yen these days. Seto fund the thermostat, but it's locked by the counselor. Seto guesses that it's got to be freezing in here.)  
  
Chibi Anna: (worried) "Bud, duz Settow ged anee sweep? Poow Setow..." (But, does Seto get any sleep? Poor Seto...) A spot on the floor catches her eye as being a spot where the carpet is actually visible because the children hadn't covered it entirely. She throws herself in this spot, where she could just manage to get herself on the floor. Pulling out her red scarf, she wraps the scarf around her body, trying to keep warm. She shivers violently, curling up into a ball in order to try and keep warm.  
  
The lights go out and the door slams shut.  
  
Chibi Seto: From outside the room, he creeps towards the door from around the corner. He jiggles the handle on the door, discovering that the door is unlocked. He cracks the door open as a cold draft rushes out the small crack. He stares into the crack, and is shocked at where Anna is sleeping: right smack dead center under the air duct! He creps into the room and tiptoes around the sleeping children, making his way to Anna. *What a crazy girl that Anna is. There's a reason she chose to sleep there, that's because nobody else was there. However, there's a reason for that. She's right under the air duct, meaning that she's getting the full force of this cold air! What could've possibly been going through her mind?!* He reaches Anna after much navigation through the crowds of kids on the floor. In one swift movement, he picks up Anna and throws her over his shoulder. *It's for your own good, Anna.* He carries Anna over his shoulder, out the door, and he sets her against the wall opposite the door that he came out of.  
  
Chibi Anna: Resting against the wall, she lifts her heavy eyelids. (innocently) "Settow... pweez... downd... pyk mee uwp... wiyk a baybee..." *Seto... please... don't... pick me up... like a baby...*  
  
Chibi Seto: He turns away from Anna quickly. (frustrated) "Still confused, worried that I might have feelings for you, eh? Well let me spell it out and put your mind at rest. I haven't been close to anyone since my parents died, leaving me and Mokuba in this pit. Just go to sleep, and keep dreaming."  
  
Chibi Anna: She is not hurt by this. "Wew..." (Well...) She closes her eyes. (softly) "Guwd niyt, Settow." (Good night, Seto.) She pulls her red scarf/blanket over her body and rests her head against the wall, and soon falls asleep.  
  
(Asakura Complex, that night)-----  
  
Chibi Tamara: She sleeps soundlessly on a sleeping bag as a mysterious gust rushes over her body.  
  
(Tamara's dream)-----  
  
Similar to Yoh's nightmare from a couple nights ago, Tamara finds herself standing on the floor of an Egyptian temple, bound in place by heavy black chains.  
  
Chibi Tamara: She jerks at the chains, realizing how unforgivably tight the chains had been wrapped around her arms.  
  
A giant blue sparkling dragon appears in front of her. It is the same dragon that attempted to attack Yoh in his nightmare, but Tamara is unaware of this.  
  
Chibi Tamara: "Hay, Pweezt Settow, Iy tawd wee hawd a deew!" (Hey, Priest Seto, I thougt we had a deal!)  
  
Priest Seto: He approaches behind his dragon, carrying a golden scepter in his right hand. "And you expected an evil spirit to keep his word? You fool! Now, there's no possible way for you to be Shaman Queen, not after I sacrifice your soul to my Blue Eyes White Dragon! Blue Eyes, burst stream attack!" He points his staff at Tamara.  
  
Chibi Tamara: "Now, Iy wuz juwzd jewwuz uv haw kwowz Annah wuz tew Yow! Iy didun's wanna kyk hew awd! Iy wawna' gow howm, Iy wawna' gow howm!" (No, I just jealous of how close Anna was to Yoh! I didn't want to kick her out! I want to go home, I want to go home!) She shakes around violently in the chains that bind her.  
  
The Blue Eyes White Dragon opens its mouth widely, preparing to launch its energy attack at Tamara.  
  
Chibi Tamara: While shaking in her chains, she vanishes into a mysterious white light before the Blue Eyes White Dragon can attack her.  
  
The Blue Eyes White Dragon unleashes its attack on the ground, where Tamara once had stood before vanishing a split second earlier.  
  
Priest Seto: "NO! What happened?! Did somebody wake her up?! I had her in the palm of my hand!" Thoroughly frustrated, he throws his Millennium Rod to the ground.  
  
(dream ends)-----  
  
Chibi Tamara: She almost jumps out of her sleeping bag as he wakes up screaming. She sweats heavily, with nobody around her. She is completely alone in her room.  
  
But out of nowhere, from behind Tamara, a tall, spiky haired shadow darkens the floor.  
  
Chibi Tamara: She can almost feel the shadow on her back, and she turns around slowly to look for what was casting the shadow, then she screams in horror at the towering ghostly figure standing in front of her. "WAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
(Yoh's room, simultaneously)-----  
  
Yoh sleeps in his sleeping bag, tossing, turning, and twisting his face.  
  
Chibi Yoh: (muttering to self in sleep) "Nuh, nuw, Annah, nuw, dow'd weev..." ("No, no, Anna, no, don't leave...)  
  
(Yoh's dream)-----  
  
Yoh stands at the open door of the Asakura Complex, with the only other piece of scenery being pitch-black darkness. A tall figure in a long, black, hooded raincoat walks out of the abyssal darkness, carrying something with both his arms. But even though Yoh can't quite see the man's face, or what the man carries, Yoh almost immediately determines that this man doesn't have any good news for him, nor should he have reason to be happy to see the man.  
  
Hooded Man: He stops at Yoh's feet and lowers the object he carries. To little surprise to Yoh, the object is Anna, or to be more precise, her clammy, pale, dead body. (deaathly sorrowful and deep) "She's dead, Yoh..."  
  
Chibi Yoh: His eyes begin to water up as he stares at the twisted and frightened expression that was supposedly frozen onto Anna's face when she died. (morbidly) "Yeh, Iy cun see dat..." (Yeah, I can see that...) He kneels down at Anna's side, letting the tears flow down his face. He touches Anna's deathly cold face with his hand, half cradling her body.  
  
Hooded Man: "She supposedly froze to death in a rainy alley that she tried to take shelter in. This wouldn't have happened if she had somewhere warm to sleep..."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (yelling at the hooded man) "SHADDUP! Dew wuz nufin Iy kuwd dew fow hew!" (SHUT UP! There was nothing I could do for her!)  
  
Hooded Man: (muttering under his breath) "Oh really..." He reaches to pull something out from under his raincoat, but Yoh doesn't notice.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He hangs his head over Anna's body, cradling her while mourning with a face full of tears. He holds up Anna's right hand in his own hand, and lifts it near his face.  
  
Dead Chibi Anna (that's a lot of prefixes!): In one swift motion, she opens her eyes, wraps her raised hand around Yoh's neck, and stands up, lifting Yoh off his feet with superhuman strength. She speaks with a supernatural undertone in her voice. "Yew kiwd mee, Yow, yew now idt." (You killed me, Yoh, you know it.) She tightens her hand around Yoh's neck, threatening to choke Yoh to death. A look of malicious bloodthirstiness appears on hr face.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He tries to squirm free of the choking hold that the undead Anna locked onto his neck. (gagging) "Annah, GAAK, wiy GAAK auw yew GAAK dewin diyz?" (Anna (GAAK), why (GAAK) are you (GAAK) doing this?)  
  
Dead Chibi Anna: She stares down for a second, then lifts her head, now replacing her deathly expression with one of pure innocence. (dropping the supernatural undertone) "Yow... Wiy'd yew dew dyz tew mee? Iy tawd yew wuvd mee..." (Yoh... Why dod you do this to me? I thought you loved me...) She lowers her face again.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He slowly runs out of breath as his struggling diminishes. His feet hang limply from his body.  
  
Dead Chibi Anna: She drops the limp Yoh to the ground. She lowers her hands to her sides and stands stiffly like a statue.  
  
Chibi Yoh: His motionless body lays face down on the dark ground.  
  
Hooded Man: He throws off his cape-like raincoat, revealing himself to be Priest Seto.  
  
Priest Seto: He raises his Millennium Rod into the air. "Ahahahahaha! I did it! Yoh Asakura is dead at last!" He kicks at Yoh. "Yep, a dead corpse. And it wasn't even my illusion that killed Yoh, but something in Yoh's own dreams!" He turns over Yoh's body, but a shocked look crosses his face as he sees the expression that Yoh has.  
  
Chibi Yoh: Being turned over by Priest Seto, he snickers calmly. "Sew, dat Annah-wuk-awiyk idn'd weew, iyz shee?" (So, the Anna-look-alike isn't real, is she?) He comes to his feet.  
  
Priest Seto: He steps back. "What? What are you snickering about? What's so funny?!"  
  
Dead Chibi Anna: She turns around to face Yoh.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He glares at the Anna- resembling frozen zombie. "Haw, yew caw'd huwd mee-GAAK!" (Ha, you can't hurt me-(GAAK)!) His taunting is interrupted as Dead Chibi Anna tries to choke out Yoh again. "GAAK!"  
  
Priest Seto: "DIE, YOH!" He points at Dead Chibi Anna with his Millennium Rod.  
  
Chibi Yoh: His snickering continues. (taunting Seto) "Hehehe. Miy gwampa sez dat anguw maykz wun wez efektiv iyn a fiyt." (Hehehe. My grandpa says the anger makes one less effective in a fight.) (to Dead Chibi Anna) "Dowd wuwee, Annah. Iy'w fiynd yew befow yew diy fow weew. Iy pwomiz." (Don't worry, Anna. I'll find you before you die for real. I promise.) Dead Chibi Anna's choking hold has no effect on Yoh. Yoh holds up one of Dead Chibi Anna's hand to his face and kisses the back of her hand.  
  
Dead Chibi Anna: Her hands begin to vaporize, centering around where Yoh had kissed her hand. She quickly drops Yoh as her hands turn to steam. Soon, her entire body turns to nothing more than a cloud of steam as her clothes and prayer beads fall to the ground. (think Wicked Witch of the West)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He glares up at Priest Seto. "Nau weev mee an Annah awown!" (Now leave me and Anna alone!)  
  
Prist Seto: He runs off, with a stare of shock on his face. "Rrr, no, I'll get you! You and Anna WILL die, and your souls will be grafted to my ever-expanding power!" He vanishes into the void.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He grins as he watches Priest Seto run off like a scared animal.  
  
Voice: A soft and innocent voice flows in the form of a soft gust of wind. The voice sounds like Chibi Anna, half crying and half shivering. "Y-y- yow... Y-y-yow..." (Y-y-yoh... Y-y-yoh...)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He darts his head around, searching for the source of the voice. "Annah! Iz dat yew?" (Anna! Is that you?)  
  
Voice: "Y-y-yow... W-w-wew aw-w-w y-y-yew?... Iy'm-m-m s-s-skawd..." (Y- y-yoh... W-w-where ar-r-re y-y-you?... I'm-m-m s-s-scared...) The voice breaks down into a sob.  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Annah! Wew aw yew? Iy'm kuwm fow yew! Iy pwomiss!" (Anna! Where are you? I'm coming for you! I promise!) He shoots glances around everywhere.  
  
Voice: "Y-y-yow... Pw-w-weez k-k-kum f-f-fow m-m-mee... I-i-iym iyn d-d- da... S-s-sow k-k-kouwd..." (Y-y-yoh... Pl-l-lease c-c-come f-f-for m-m- me... I-i-i'm in th-th-the... S-s-so c-c-cold...) The voice breaks into a softer sob.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He stares up and yells. "Annah! Yur in da were? Were, Annah?!" (Anna! You're in the where? Where, Anna?)  
  
Voice: "S-s-sow k-k-kowd-d-d... Iyn-n-n d-d-da..." (S-s-so c-c-cold-d- d... In-n-n th-th-the...)  
  
Chibi Yoh: (Shouting at the top of his lungs) "Da wew?! WEW?! ANNAH?!" (The where?! WHERE?! ANNA!)  
  
Voice: "...iyn-n-n d-d-da-" (...in-n-n th-th-the-) The voice is cut off as Yoh wakes up from the dream.  
  
(end of Yoh's dream)-----  
  
Chibi Tamara: She shakes Yoh violently. "Yow, Yow, wayk uwp! Iy now wew Annah iz! Iy now wew Annah iz!" (Yoh, Yoh, wake up! I know where Anna is! I know where Anna is!)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He jolts out of his sleeping bag as Tamara shakes him awake. "Hay, hay, Iym uwp! Wuza wakit?!" (Hey, hey, I'm up! That's the racket?!)  
  
Chibi Tamara: She folds her hands, trying to contain her excitement. (perky) "Yow, diz spewid caym tew mee an showd mee wew Annah iz! Iy now wew Annah iz!" (Yoh, this spirit came to me and showed me where Anna is! I know where Anna is!)  
  
Chibi Yoh: (sarcastically) "Wew, guwd fow yew; dat mayks wun uv uws!" (Well good for you; that makes one of us!) His eyes widen as he begins to comprehend all that Tamara had said. (skeptically) "Uw, wud spewid?" (Uh, what spirit?)  
  
(A/N: Hmph, way to go, Tamara! Yoh was having his first vision! Oh well, things are coming around. The ends will all be tied up soon, but this chapter got a bit long, so I cut it here, at the climactic point.  
  
And seven pages is a climactic point in my book, uh, pardon the pun. Well, if it were any longer and I'd warn you to pull up a comfy chair, some popcorn, and a jumbo pretzel.  
  
But I hope you found the new character I chose to include. Like "spiky- haired spirit" doesn't just spell it out for you! And for those who wonder where this spirit came from, it's a combination of some other things:  
  
1. End of Chapter 5: Chibi Anna calls on some random spirit to protect Yoh. But, unfortunately for Priest Seto, as a tradition of Yugioh, 'random' is synonymous with 'exactly what one needs to get the job done'.  
  
2. End of Chapter 1: Oh, and that line is supposed to be "hikari". Sorry, got a little ambitious with my Japanese knowledge. "Aibou" is "companion", "hikari" is "light side". And back to the line, the Pharaoh's spirit was speaking, showing that his powers were coming back together again, allowing his spirit to be called out by Anna.  
  
...and, last but not least...  
  
3. Cuz' DrakeTheDuelist said so!: Yeah, how's that one line go: "And that's the bottom line, because... uh, somebody-or-other... said so!" Need I say more? Didn't think so...  
  
Chapter 7 done at last! But the next chapter could take quite a while. Until then, I don't own Shaman King or Yugioh.) 


	8. Spewids an Chezz

(A/N: A noticeable pet peeve I've been getting lately is when I get a review from someone without an email address posted on their fanfiction.net profile. Not to say that I shun reviews, don't get that idea at all, but I like to e-mail you back about what you think I'm doing right or wrong. So if you've got an e-mail address, post it up. If not, get an email address through your Internet provider, like an @msn.com or @aol.com account.  
  
I don't own Yugioh or Shaman King.)  
  
Chibi Beginnings: Chapter 8: Speewids an' Chezz  
  
Yoh and Tamara have just woken up from dreams in which Priest Seto had terrorized them in, supposedly because Anna no longer lived in the Asakura complex. But now, Yoh plans to remedy that small situation by trying to find Anna.  
  
Chibi Tamara: "Wuda ya meen 'wud speewid'? Da speewid dat wowk mee uwp. Sed hee noo wew Annah wuz." (What do you mean 'what spirit'? The spirit that woke me up. Said he knew where Anna was.)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He turns away from Tamara, stands to his feet, and walks up out of his room. He paces down the dark corridor.  
  
Chibi Tamara: She follows Yoh, jogging lightly. "Hay, wayd uwp! Iy towd yew dat da speewid nowz wew Annah iz! Dow'd yew wawda fiyd hew?" (Hey, wait up! I told you that the spirit knows where Anna is! Don't you want to find her?) She approaches Yoh from behind.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He keeps his back to Tamara, still walking away. (coldly) "Iy dew. An dat'z wiy Iy'm guwna' ignow yew!" (I do. And that's why I'm going to ignore you!)  
  
Chibi Tamara: Shocked at what Yoh had said to her, she stops following him, and then takes a step back. (quivering, verging on crying) "Yow... wud wuz dat suwpowzd tew meen? Dew yew tynk dat id wuz mee whoo wuz wesponsowbow fow Annah nawd beeyn heew?" (Yoh... what was that supposed to mean? Do you think that it was me who was responsible for Anna not being here?)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He came to a corner and stopped walking away. He then turned to face Tamara, with a menacing glare on his face. (coldly) "Id wuz tew muwch wen yew nowtizd haw kwowz Annah an Iy wew... wuzen id? Sew yew hayd tew twedin hew. Nawd kwiyd suw haw, buwd yew mayd hew feeyw imbawizzd abowd haw shee fewd abowd mee. Beekuz uv yew, Annah wuz skawd tew deth tew shou hew feewinz! Yew may hayv skawd hew fow wiyf! Datz wiy Annah wuz aktin sow weewd beefow. Kuz uv YEW!" (It was too much when you noticed how close Anna and I were... wasn't it? So you had to threaten her. Not quite sure how, but you made her feel embarrassed about how she felt about me. Because of you, Anna was scared to death to show her feelings! You may have scarred her for life! That's why Anna was acting so weird before. 'Cause of YOU!) He points at Tamara forcefully.  
  
Chibi Tamara: She takes another step back. (quivering more than before) "Yow... OWKEY, sew iy WUZ jewwuz! Buwd Iy tawd dat yew wiykd mee... wezz dayn yew wiykd Annah... an Iy wuz afwayd... uv... beeyn wepwayzd..." (Yoh... OKAY, so I WAS jealout! But I thought that you liked me... less than you liked Anna.... and I was afraid... of... being replaced...) She falls to her knees, with guilty tears flowing down her face.  
  
Chibi Yoh: Still frustrated, he kneels down in front of Tamara.  
  
Chibi Tamara: She lifts her head and looks straight ahead into Yoh's piercing eyes, while still crying. "Yow, wud iz idt?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He bites his lip as he firmly slaps Tamara across the face with his right hand.  
  
Chibi Tamara: "OWW!" Unlike when Anna slaps Yoh, Tamara only turns her face as Yoh slaps her. Her crying ceases.  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Sowee, Tammie. Buwd Annah wud dew da saym fow mee, an tiym iz wunnin awd." (Sorry, Tammy. But Anna would do the same for me, and time is running out.) He grabs Tamara by the shoulders and shakes her violently. (firmly) "Nau, now mow giwdynyzz. Wew iz da speewid hew nowz wew Annah iz?" (Now, no more guiltiness. Where is the spirit who knows where Anna is?)  
  
A black shadow races across the floor.  
  
Chibi Tamara: "Owkey. Hiz naym iz..." (Okay. His name is...)  
  
A black shadow appears behind Yoh, and a ghost comes out of the shadow, off the floor. The spiky haired spirit stands behind Yoh.  
  
Chibi Tamara: "...hiz naym iz..." (...his name is...)  
  
Atemu (YamiYugi's manga name): "I am Atemu, the great Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt."  
  
Chibi Yoh: At the sound of the booming voice, he nearly falls over on his face. He darts around to see the spirit. "Aha, sew yowr dyz speewid Iy keep heewyn abowd!"  
  
Atemu: He bands down to see Yoh stare up at him coldly, and Tamara shivers in fear on her feet. He reaches out towards Tamara, who has a deer-in-the- headlights expression on her face. (comforting) "You need not worry, little girl. Seto will not come after you now. You're safe."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He stares up at Atemu. (losing patience) "AHIM! Hay, fawwow giy!" (AHEM! Hey, pharaoh guy!)  
  
Atemu: He shifts his gaze towards Yoh. "And you are?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Fowgedt id! Aw Iy wawda now iz wew yew saw Annah! Tew mee. NAU!" (Forget it! All I want to know is where you saw Anna. Tell me. NOW!)  
  
Atemu: He clenches his fist and points at Yoh. "ADDRESS ME WITH RESPECT, CHILD!"  
  
Chibi Tamara: (intervening) "Pweeez, now showdin!" (Please, no shouting!)  
  
Atemu and Yoh both turn their attention to Tamara.  
  
Chibi Tamara: (pleading to the two) "Annah'z owd dew iyn da dawk. Sheez skaywd an pwobwee kwyin wiyd nau. An Settow'z gowin aftuw Annah. Pweez. Wee dow'd gawd tiym ta yew. Sow Atemew, pweez tew Yow wew yew fawnd Annah, an Yow, pweez bee paytyund wid Atemew." (Anna's out there in the dark. She's scared and probably crying right now. And Seto's going after Anna. We don't have time to yell. So Atemu, please tell Yoh where you found Anna, and Yoh, please be patient with Atemu.)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He sighs. "Owkey." (Okay.)  
  
Atemu: "I accept." He returns his gaze to Yoh. "My apologies to you, Yoh Asakura."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (calmly) "Owkey naw, kuwd yew tew mee wew Annah iz?"  
  
Atemu: "An orphanage. A building. She's safe, for the moment."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He sighs in relief. "Wew ad weezd shee'z owkey. Wedd'z fiynd hew. Ya now widj ofanidj shee'z adt, wiydt Atemew?" (well, at least she's okay. Let's find her. You know which orphanage she's at, right Atemu?)  
  
Atemu: "Yes. All too well. However, unfortunately, Seto is already there."  
  
Chibi Yoh and Chibi Tamara: They dart back. "SETTOW?!"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He punches his palm in frustration. "Aw kwudd! Wee gawda' fiynd hew kwik!" (Oh crud, we've got to find her quick!)  
  
Atemu: "Don't worry though, because there is good news."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Iyf diz haz ennytin ta dew wid kaw inshuwinz, Iy'm guwna' kiw yew ageyn!" (If this has anything to do with car insurance, I'm gonna' kill you again!)  
  
Atemu: He scratches his head. *What's a car?* "Anyway, the Seto that is at the orphanage is just another child, like you. He hasn't attained conscious knowledge of his ancient past yet. So Anna is safe, for the moment. It's only a matter of time before Seto discovers his ancient past."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Sew wed'z gew! We gawda stawp Settow!" (So let's go! We've got to stop Seto!)  
  
Atemu: (unceratinly) "Uh... well..." He stares down.  
  
Chibi Yoh and Chibi Tamara: They stare at Atemu.  
  
Chibi Tamara: She tilts her head as she stares at Atemu. "Wiy sow kwied? Sumfin waung?" (Why so quiet? Something wrong?)  
  
Atemu: (softly) "Back... in my time... Seto was a powerful magician. His powers even surpassed my own. So I entrusted him with the powerful Blue Eyes White Dragon tablets. And so long as he can draw strength from the power of those tablets, he was almost invincible in Ancient Egypt."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (in awe) "Invinsowbow? Dat kawd bee..." (Invincible? That can't be...)  
  
Atemu: "I assure you that Seto is going to be very tough to beat. Because... back then, he... rebelled... against the Egyptian guard. He beat all the remaining guards in my kingdom by using the power of the Blue Eyes White Dragon tablets. All of the guard were killed. Every last one of them..." He quaked in place. "Some good friends of mine were in that guard. So I faced Seto myself... Which was a dire mistake..."  
  
Chiibi Yoh: "Wud hapind? In da fiydt?" (What happened? In the fight?)  
  
Atemu: "I-I don't remember entirely. After a certain point, it-it just all went blank to me... The last thing I remember, I sealed both my soul and Seto's soul into the Millennium Puzzle." He holds his head. "But, I fear that Seto may be too strong now for me to face..."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "NOW!" (NO!) He punches a wall, then withdraws his hand slowly, shaking it. "Aw, Iy tink dat wuz wiyk da diyur mistayk yew wew tawkin abowd." (Ow, I think that was like the dire mistake you were talking about.)  
  
Atemu: "No, Yoh. Punching a wall by accident is stupid. Taking on the most powerful sorcerer in Ancient Egypt in a Shadow Game, THAT is a mistake." He pauses. "I will show you where you can find Anna, but I will not be able to beat Seto."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Wew, Iy dow'd kayw!" (Well, I don't care!)  
  
Chibi Tamara: "Yow, bee weezonabow. Settow'z tew tuff few yew." (Yoh, be reasonable. Seto is too tough for you.)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He shoots a cold glare at Tamara, then turns to Attemu. (deeply serious) "Iyf dat Settow giy wayz eevin a FINGUW awn Annah, den hee'z iyn fow a wowd uv huwdt! An iyf yew wow'd fiyd Settow ta fwee Annah, Iy WIW in a hawdbeed, ya kan kowdt awn dat!" (If that Seto guy lays even a FINGER on Anna, then he's in for a world of hurt! And if you won't fight Seto to free Anna, I WILL in a heartbeat, you can count on that!) He glares at Atemu. "Tayk mee tew Annah awweddie. Yew kawwuwd..." (Take me to Anna already. You coward...)  
  
Atemu: He takes a step back. *How... how can he say stuff like that? He's witnessed Seto's strength firsthand in his dreams at least once before! He can't be serious, there's no one who can defeat Seto. Unless...* He stares into Yoh's eyes, as his stare burns with unshakable confidence. "You're not bluffing. You're serious about being able to face Seto. And win. I've NEVER seen such confidence in all my years of existence..." He turns away from Yoh, then walks away.  
  
Chibi Yoh: (overconfidently) "Yeh, gow an wun! Iy'w defeed Settow awn miy own, if yew wowdt!" (Yeah, go and run! I'll defeat Seto on my own, if you won't!)  
  
Atemu: He turns back in Yoh's direction, glancing at him over his shoulder. "I'm not running. I'm leading you to Anna. Are you coming like you said, or are you all talk and no action?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He paces slowly behind Atemu. "Iy'w beedt Settow. Juwzd powydt da wey." (I'll beat Seto. Just point the way.)  
  
Chibi Tamara: "Waydt! Yow!" (Wait! Yoh!) She grabs Yoh by the shoulder, trying to hold him back.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He snaps his head back at Tamara. "Iy'w kum bak wid Annah. Den, aw uv dis'w bee owvuv. Iy pwomiz." (I'll come back with Anna. Then, all of this'll be over. I promise.) He heads back to his path, following Yami down the hall.  
  
(orphanage, morning, before sunrise)-----  
  
Chibi Anna awakens to a loud racket of kids all over the place. She grips her red scarf tightly around her body as she slowly opens her eyes. She stretches and slowly comes to her feet, getting off the wall that she fell asleep against the night before.  
  
Chibi Anna: She stumbles into the room across from her, dodging several running kids on her way. She slides the door open to find Mokuba and Seto playing a game of chess against one another.  
  
Chibi Seto: "So, Mokie, time for another round. Good luck."  
  
Chibi Mokuba: (confidently) "Iy'w dew fiyn, sew dow'd howd bak!" (I'll do fine, so don't hold back!)  
  
The two set up pieces on the chessboard.  
  
Chibi Seto: He takes out a small double-faced clock and winds it up. Placing it next to the fully set up chessboard, he presses a small button on top of thee clock, causing the clock on the side closest to Mokuba to start winding down. "Your move, Mokie. White's got first."  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He places a hand on his chin. "Iy'w uwz dis un Iy'v seeyn yew yewd awn mee. Pauwn tew ie-fowr." (I'll use this one I've seen you use on me. Pawn to e4." He moves a small piece on the board, then lightly smacks the clock at his side.  
  
Chibi Anna: She sneaks into the room, trying not to distract Mokuba and Seto. She creeps closer and closer to the chessboard, veering around behind Seto.  
  
Chibi Seto: (pondering) "Hmm... Pawn... d6!" He moves a piece and taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Hay, Settow, wiy ya' nawd advansin wiyk yew dew aw da tiym? Paun dee-fowr." (Hey, Seto, why are you not advancing like you do all the time? Paun d4.) He moves a piece and taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Seto: He picks up a piece. (pondering) 'Hmm, pawn... to...WAAA!" He is slightly startled as Anna pops up behind him.  
  
Chibi Anna: She pops up behind Chibi Seto. "Hay, boyz, watcha' doin?" (Hey, boys, what are you doing?)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Pwayin chezz." (Playing chess.)  
  
Chibi Seto: He turns his attention back to the chessboard. (confidently) "Heh, winning chess. Pawn d6." He places down the piece he picked up, then taps the nearby clock.  
  
Chibi Anna: She stares on at the board, at all the many uniformly organized pieces, totally mesmerized. (amazed) "Wau. Haw'd yew pwey? Aw da peesuz wuk da saym." (Wow. HOw do you play? All the pieces look the same."  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Bud dey aw dew diffuwind stuwf. Byshuwp ta ef fowr." He moves a piece and taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Seto: He turns to Anna, making his next move behind his back. (to Anna) "Well, it's all very systematic." (effortlessly, to Mokuba) "Knight e7." He taps the clock and moves his piece.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Owkey, Nite ta ay-twee." (Okay, Knight to a3) He moves his piece after much thought, and then taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Anna: She continues to watch over the board, totally hypnotized by the piece arangements. "Yewr sew kawnfudend, Settow. Haw da ya now wew eech peez gowd puwfektwee?" (You're so confident, Seto. How do you know where each piece goes perfectly?)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Hay, wanna' seey sumfin kewl, den leep watchun! Paun ta..." He reaches up across the board and relocates one of his pieces to where one of Seto's pieces is, removing Seto's piece from the board. "... ta dee-fiyv!" (...to d5!) He picks up Seto's piece and taps the clock with it, grinning widely.  
  
Chibi Anna: (amazed) "Wow, he tuwk a peez! Kan hee dew dat?" (Wow, he took a piece! Can he do that?)  
  
Chibi Seto: (unfazed entirely) "Sure. Of course I can do it better. Bishop takes Knight at a3." He takes a horse-shaped piece of Mokuba's off the board and places one of his pieces on the square where it was. He then uses Mokuba's taken piece to tap the clock.  
  
Chibi Anna: "Sew, da peesuz tayk eech uddew? Iy yewzt ta pway chekowz, an ya had ta tayk aw da peesuz. Wiyk dat?" (So, the pieces take each other? I used to play checkers, and you have to take all the opponent's pieces. Like that?)  
  
Chibi Seto: He taps a piece on his side of the board. "Nope. You've just got to trap this one piece here. The king. When all it's available moves are taken away, and it gets threatened so that it can't run to a safe space, then the opponent declares 'checkmate' and wins."  
  
Chibi Anna: (amazed) "Wau..." (Wow...)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Wew, Iy wuz pwepaywd. Iy'm gunna' tayk yewr bychup wid a paun tew ay-twee." (Well, I was prepared. I'm going to take your bishop with a pawn to a3.) He takes Seto's piece, relocates his own piece, then taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Seto: (to Anna) "It's really rather simple to learn to play. I taught Mokuba to play right here at this orphanage." (to Mokuba) "Castling kingside. King to g2." He moves his king piece two spaces to the left, then moves a castle-shaped piece to the exact other side of his king. He then taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Anna: (very confused) "Iy tawd yew sed id wuz eezie twe wuwn. Wud'ya juwzd dew? Kastuwin?" (I thought you said it was easy to learn. What did you just do? Castling?)  
  
Chibi Seto: "Simple move. There are only a handful of variations in all of chess. There's castling, en passant, fifty move take limit, three move repeat rule, stalemate, all sorts of things. It's very easy to adapt to these things if you know the rules."  
  
Chibi Anna: "Tawd yew sed 'hawdfuw'." (Thought you said 'handful'.)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Uw, Settow, byshup ta gee-fowr. Yer mewv." (Uh, Seto, bishop to g4. Your move.) He makes his move as he dictates, taps the clock, and moves the appropriate piece.  
  
Chibi Seto: (effortlessly) "Pawn h6. Your turn." He moves and taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He stares at the highly developed board for a while. "Uw, byshuwp taykz ef-fiyv." (Uh, bishop takes f5.)  
  
Chibi Seto: "Kinda cramped for the queen...."  
  
Chibi Anna: Her eyes light up. (enthusiastically) "Kween? Dewz a kween? Wud kinda' kween? Wiyk a Shawmin Kween?" (Queen? There's a queen on the board? What kind of queen? Like a Shaman Queeen?) She searches the board, looking for a queen-looking piece.  
  
Chibi Seto: He giggles. "Not quite. But she is THE single most powerful piece in the game."  
  
Chibi Anna: She giggles back in response. "A pawwufuw kween, ey? Iy may juwzd wiyk dis gaym yedt!" (A powerful queen, eh? I may just like this game yet!)  
  
Chibi Seto: He clears his throat. "Well, the clocks still running, and I'm not getting any closer to checkmate, so queen takes bishop on f5." He moves a large piece on his back row up to one of Mokuba's pieces and picks Mokuba's piece off the board, placing his queen back down. He taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Uw-ow. Dis pawdt. Da kween'z awdt. Iy gawda' bee kayfuw nau. Uw, pauwn taykz eey-syx." (Uh-oh. This part. The queen's out. I've got to be careful now. Uh, pawn to e6.)  
  
Chibi Anna: *Wou. Mowkewbuh juzd chayngd hyz howl stwategee kuz da kween kaum awd. Kiynda' wiyk... hau evweebuddy bak howm... dey feeyw wiyk dey hayv tew bee kayfuw wen I'ym awownd... Espesuwee Yow...* (*Wow. Mokuba just changed his whole strategy just because the queen came out. It's kind of like... how everybody back home... they feel like they have to be careful when I'm around... Especially Yoh...*)  
  
Chibi Seto: "I'll combat your pawn take with another pawn capture. My pawn to e6. Move." He takes his turn, moving his pawn to take Mokuba's pawn, then tapping the clock.  
  
Chibi Anna: She zones out, staring off into space. *Yep, espesuwee Yow...* (*Yes, especially Yoh.*)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He stares at the board. "Aha! Bischup ta eey-syx, taykin yer pauwn, sew yew wooz da exchayng! Yesss!" (Aha! bishop to e6, taking your pawn, so you lose the exchange! Yesss!) He moves his bishop to take Seto's pawn, then taps the clock.  
  
Chibi Anna: She redirects her attention to the chessboard. *Wou. Settow'z woozin peesuz. Hau kan hee wyn dis wun widawd az mennie peesuz?* (*Wow. Seto's losing pieces. How can he win without as many pieces?*)  
  
Chibi Seto: He sits with his arms crossed. "Not quite, Mokie. I may have lost the exchange, but the game is about to be mine. Look at the queen. Her position may not seem so favorable, but..." He takes his queen and moves it down to nearly the end of the board, taking a pawn that lies close to Mokuba's king. "...but queen to f2 clinches the game. Checkmate, Mokie."  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He grins. "Hehehe. Nad diz tiym, Settow! Kyng taykz kween awn ef-too! Iy repew de attak!" He prepares to move the piece as Seto blocks off his hand.  
  
Chibi Seto: "Not quite, Mokie. Look down at the other end of the board." He points to his rook, which lies on a non-intercepted vertical line with the queen. "Take 'her majesty' with the king, and my rook will take your king. You can always count on the castle of the king to protect the queen."  
  
Chibi Anna: Seto's words echo over and over in her mind. She repeats the phrase back to herself over and over again in her mind. (whispering) "Yew ken awweyz kawnd awn da kastow uv da kyng tew pwotekt da kween." (You can always count on the castle of the king to protect the queen.) *Juwzd wiyk Iy ken awweys kawnd awn Yow'z howm, da Shawmin Kyng'z kastow at da Osokowuh Kompwex tew pwotekt me...* (*Just like I can always count on Yoh's home, the Shaman King's castle at the Asakura Complex to protect me...* She stares down at the board.  
  
The white king was totally encased by the end of the board, some nearby friendly pieces, and open spaces that the black queen threatened. Then, as Anna grew into a hypnotic stare at Seto's queen's position, Seto and Mokuba cleared the pieces off the chessboard, into a small zipper pouch on a nearby bag.  
  
Chibi Anna: *Owkey, dat'z idt! Iy'v gawda' gedt awda heew!* (*Okay, that's it! I've got to get out of here!*)  
  
(A/N: WOW that was DEEP! Chibi Anna pulls reral-life answers off a chessboard scenario! And, for those of us who wondered, that IS an actual, 100 percent authentic game that REALLY WORKS! I played it out by hand, using some of my spare Yugioh cards and a MESS OF DICE! Hope you appreciate the authenticity and effort! Maybe you should get a chessboard and a book on algebraic chess notation and play out that game. It's only about ten moves, and it's really quick. But you shouldn't have needed a book and a board to respect the total poetic masterpiece of the second part of the chapter.  
  
But, remember back, there was a first part, though. Apparently, not even Atemu is quite sure of himself on whether he can beat Priest Seto. But Chibi Yoh better be sure of himself! (SPOILER ALERT: Yoh's not slated away to die the first time for at least another six years, at his own twin brother's hands!)  
  
I don't own Yugioh, Shaman King, or chess as we know it.) 


	9. Too Late?

(A/N: Chapter 9 is now up. Chibi Beginnings takes a turn to a more supernatural tangent. With Priest Seto beginning his evil nastiness!  
  
And after a long run with Tamao and Hao in my other fic, it's nice to get back to the good old days of Yohna. After a while, I was afraid that I'd abandon this fic here. Besides, I sorta', well, wrote myself into a corner.  
  
Oh, and I don't own Shaman King or Yugioh.)  
  
Chibi Beginnings: Chapter 9: Too Late?  
  
Late at night, Chibi Yoh and Atemu arrive at a dark alley, where they stop their walking. This is the same alley where Chibi Anna was found before being taken to the orphanage, but Atemu and Yoh don't realize this yet.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He folds his arms impatiently. (sarcastically) "Yep, dis wukz juzd wiydt, Fawwow. Annah'z defunidwee wytin ad a STYNKYN AWWEY fow mee tew kum fow hew!" (Yep, this looks just right, Pharaoh. Anna is definitely waiting at a STINKING ALLEY for me to come for her!)  
  
Atemu: "This can't be right. Anna has to be here! This is where the trail of her aura ends." He turns to face Yoh. "Yoh, I apologize. But this is as far as I can feel that Anna has been. I dread the thought, but it IS possible that this is... where Anna had-"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He shoots a glare at Atemu. (interrupting, furious) "Dow'd sey dadt! Annah kawd bee... wew, shee juwzd kadt! Dat'z ympaussowbow!" (Don't say that! Anna can't be... well, she just cant! That's impossible!)  
  
Atemu: (discouraged) "Is it? How do you know?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Cuz YEW sed dat Annah wuz adt an owfanidj!" (Because YOU said that Anna was in an orphanage!) He kicks at a small, crumpled up piece of paper. "Nawd dys duwmp!" (Not this dump!)  
  
Atemu: "I said that she was at an orphanage. I am positive that I wasn't wrong. And if Anna were already dead, then Priest Seto wouldn't be trying to kill you in your dreams. But, I'm confused. I don't know why the trail stops here..."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He picks up the small wad of paper that he kicked against the wall. He glares coldly at Atemu. "Wew, Iy begg tew dyffow, Atemoo! Iy tink yewr juwdz puwwin miy weg! Iy tynk yew hayv new iydeeyuh wew Annah iz! Eedow yewr wuwkyn fow Settow, an yew wawdt Annah ded, owr..." (Well I beg to differ, Atemu! I think you're just pulling my leg! I think you have no idea where Anna is! Either you're working for Seto, and you want Anna dead, or...)  
  
Atemu: "Or what?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: "...owr yewr AFFWEYD uv faysin Settow! Yew dewdt wawd mee tew fynd Settow kuz hee kykd yewr budt yn da payzdt. Yew'v gawd new yntenshuwn uv weyewniytyn mee wid Annah, yew KAWWUWD!" (...or you're AFRAID of facing Seto! You don't want me to find Seto because he kicked your butt in the past. You have no intention of reuniting me and Anna, you COWARD!) He throws the paper ball at Atemu, but the paper passes right through him, with Atemu being a ghost. The paper bounces off the opposite wall of the alley.  
  
Atemu: As the paper wad moves through him, his eyes shoot open. "I JUST FELT SOMETHING!"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He turns away. "Gimmy a bwayk. Iy'w fiynd Annah awn miy oun iyf-" (Give me a break. I'll find Anna on my own if-)  
  
Atemu: "No, no! Yoh, that paper you threw at me!" He turns around and points at the paper ball. "It felt strongly like... Anna!"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He raises an eyebrow, then walks through Atemu to the wad of paper. Bending down, he picks up the paper ball and uncrumples it. Reading what the paper said, his eyes grow wide with hope and happiness. "NOW WEY! Iz dis..." (NO WAY! Is this...)  
  
Atemu: He circles around behind Yoh, looking at what the paper read. He squints at the paper, riddled with unfamiliar kanji written sloppily in crayon. (inquisitively) "What does it say?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He crumples up the paper in his hands again. "Id'z pwewf. Pwewf dat yndeeyd Annah WUZ heew, yn dys awwiy. An nau, wee gawd sum wey ta fiyd hew." (It's proof Proof that indeed Anna was here, in this alley. And now, we've got some way to find her.)  
  
Atemu: "How? Anna wasn't conscious when she left the alley, so I can't trace her anymore. So what will we do?" He points at the wad of paper. (sarcastically) "Are we going to ask the paper?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Um, wew, yez." (Um, well, yes.)  
  
Atemu: (puzzled) "What? Did you say that we were going to ask the paper?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Yeb. Iy gayv Annah dis paypow wen shee wefdt. An dew yew now wud paypow iz mayd awd uv?" (Yep. I gave Anna this paper when she left. And do you know what paper is made out of?)  
  
Atemu: "Well, back in my day, paper, or papyrus, as we called it, was made out of a weed that grew along the banks of the Nile River. Why?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Egzaktowee. Weeydz, ow pwantz. An wew dewz pwandz, dewz da sowl uv a ded pwadt, owr a sheekeegawmee. Yowmey's bin teechin mee tew summin dem. An wen Iy suwmin da sheekeeegawmee, den ist wiw weed uz stwaydt tew Annah." (Exactly. Weeds, or plants. And where there's plants, there's the soul of a dead plant, of a shikigami. Yohmei's been training me to summon them. And when I summon the shikigami, then it will lead us straight to Anna.)  
  
Atemu: (impressed) "Hmm. Can you do that?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: (hesitating) "...Wew, teknikowee, uw, new." (...Well, technically, uh, no.)  
  
Atemu: (anime faint) "Well, at least I don't have any reason to be worried myself."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (defensively) "Hay, hay, hay! Iy may nawd bee aybow tew summin sheekeegawmeez wew, budt Iy now Iy wuv Annah, an Iy'd mewv mauwntenz an spwidt seez tew ged hew bak sayfwee." (Hey, hey, hey! I may not be able to summon shikigamis well, but I know I love Anna and I'd move mountains and split seas to get her back safely.)  
  
Atemu: (astonished) *Amazing. Against all odds, he continues on, trusting in the strength of his heart to pull him through. It's actually very inspiring. Because if Yoh, though unskilled at being a shaman, can even manage to summon the little shikigami, then maybe I likewise have a hope of being able to beat Seto.* "Well, Yoh, I wish you luck..."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Tankz." (Thanks)  
  
(at the orphanage, that morning)-----  
  
Chibi Anna and Chibi Mokuba set up the white chess pieces of a chess set on one side of a chessboard as Chibi Seto sets up the black chess pieces on the otehr side of the chessboard.  
  
Chibi Anna: (meekly) "Wew, Mowkewbuh, Settow, Iy'm nawd kwiyd shuw dat Iy'm weddy fow miy fuwzd chezz gaym. Sew pweez gew eeey awn mee, owkey?" (Well, Mokuba, Seto, I'm not quite sure that I'm ready for my first chess game. So please go easy on me, okay?)  
  
Chibi Seto: He places down the final black piece on his side of the board. "Heh! Go easy on you?" He chuckles.  
  
Chibi Anna: "Wud? Wud's sow funee, Settow?" (What? What's so funny, Seto?)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Settow duzind eevin gow eezee awn mee, an I'ym hyz widdow bwuddow." (Seto doesn't even go easy on me, and I'm his little brother.)  
  
Chibi Anna: (worried) "Uw-ew..." (Uh-oh...) She sets down her final white piece, the queen.  
  
Chibi Seto: "White has first move. So go ahead." He crosses his arms with great confidence, bordering on cockiness, as he leans back in his chair.  
  
Chibi Anna: She picks up a horse-shaped piece on the back row and holds it up for Seto to see. "Uw, pawn, dat'z dys tingee wiydt?" (Uh, pawn, that's this thingy, right?)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He slaps his forehead.  
  
Chibi Seto: He raises an eyebrow. "Anna, that's a knight." He taps one of the pieces on Anna's front row, the piece in front of her king. "THAT'S a pawn."  
  
Chibi Anna: She places the knight back down on the square it came from, then moves the piece that Seto tapped forward by one space. (uncertainly) "Owkey, pawn tew, uw, wewevew dys skwayw iz." (Okay, pawn to, uh, wherever this square is.)  
  
Chibi Seto: "You don't have to call out your moves as you begin. That's called 'algebraic notation'. You can just move your pieces."  
  
Chibi Anna: She sighs with relief. "Wew, dats sumfin dat Iy dow'd need tew now juzd yedt." (Well, that's something that I don't need to know just yet.)  
  
Chibi Seto: He stares at the board, holding his chin with his rignt hand.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "Uw-ew. Dat'z Settow'z spesowtee. Hee ken see da mewvz vewwy faw ahedd uv wen dey happyn." (Uh-oh. That's Seto's specialty. He can see the moves far ahead of when they happen.)  
  
Chibi Anna: (amazed) "Wau, new kyddun! Iy yewzd ta now a guwl hew kuwd dew dat tew. Shee kuwd see da fewtyuw. Hew naym iz Tamawah." (Whoa, no kidding! I used to know a girl who could do that too. She could see the future. Her name is Tamara.)  
  
Chibi Mokuba: (courious) "Wiy yew sey 'iz'? Iz shee styw awiyv?" (Why do you say 'is'? Is she still alive?)  
  
Chibi Seto: "AHA!" He holds up his finger, breaking out of his trance. "Mate in sixty-five. Pawn e5. Your turn, Anna."  
  
Chibi Mokuba: (amazed) "Settow, izund maydt in syxtee-fiyv a byd hawsh few hew? Iy meen dis IZ hew fuwzd gaym..." (Seto, isn't mate in sixty- five a bit harsh? I mean this IS her first game...)  
  
Chibi Seto: (aggressively) "Never underestimate an enemy, Mokuba. Not even Anna. I mean, how are you so sure that Anna never played chess before?"  
  
Chibi Mokuba: *Uw-ow. Iy now wew dys iz gowin...* (*Uh-oh. I know where this is going...) (pleading) "Settow? Cuwd yew..." (Seto? Could you...)  
  
Chibi Seto: He ignores Mokuba's weak and incomplete pleas as he continues on. "I mean, she may have been lying to us about that."  
  
Chibi Mokuba: (weakly pleading) "Cuwd yew nawd gow dew?" (Could you not go there?)  
  
Chibi Seto: His gaze turns sinister. "I mean, for the sake of example, she could be lying about even being an ORPHAN!"  
  
Chibi Anna: She nervously bites her lip and stares down at hearing this.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: His pleas fade into the background noise. (weakly) "Settow..." (Seto...)  
  
Chibi Seto: "Or, even worse, she could actually have a HOME to call her own!"  
  
Chibi Anna: She bites her lip harder. Her face turns red as she shakes at her shoulders and leans her head further down.  
  
Chibi Mokuba: He begins to raise his voice, but to no avail. (weakly) "Settow... yer gowin tew faw..." (Seto... you're going too far...)  
  
Chibi Seto: "Or worse yet. She may have a family! She may have close friends that care for her and look out for her!"  
  
Chibi Anna: She shakes harder at the shoulders. She holds back her tears by biting her lip so hard that a small trail of blood flows down her chin.  
  
Chibi Seto: He seems impervious to Anna's crumbling emotional state at this point. (boldly) "Or do you know what else?" He thumbs his nose at Anna. (sinister) "She could even have a boyfriend!"  
  
Chibi Anna: Her emotions finally break down. "STAWP!" (STOP!) Tears begin to overflow in her eyes and spill out over her cheeks. She runs away from the chess match that Seto had challenged her to, leaving behind her red scarf. She cries hard as she runs.  
  
Mokuba: He raises his voice to a much more confident level. (yelling at Seto) "SETTOW! Iy'v nevow seeyn yew gow dat faw! Wud'z powzessyn yew?!" (SETO! I've never seen you go that far! What's possessing you?!) He raises a fist in defiance of his big brother.  
  
Chibi Seto: A menacing undertone emanated as he spoke. (with undertone) "What do you care?!"  
  
Chibi Mokuba: "WAAA!" He is frightened away by the supernatural undertone in his formerly innocent big brother's voice.  
  
Chibi Seto: His voice reverts to normal as he gasps for air and holds out his shaking hand towards his little brother, who runs away from him in fear. (in a panic) "W-w-wait... That wasn't me... Wh-what happened? Mokie! What's happening to me!?" His hand quakes violently in fear of himself, and of what he had just done.  
  
(outside the orphanage, right after the previous incident)-----  
  
Chibi Yoh and Atemu reach the orphanage's outside walls, after a long and grueling night of walking. But now, Chibi Yoh is about ready to collapse in a heap, held up by the sheer prospect of seeing Anna again. Or at least seeing her once more.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He points to the orphanage, limply holding one arm up with the other arm. (weakly) "A-ha... Dew idt izz! An... Annah'z... waydin... in...siyd... fow... mee..." (Aha... There it is! And... Anna is... waiting... in...side... for me...)  
  
Atemu: He stares at the orphanage in astonishment. (stunned) "Amazing... I can't believe you were able to pull that off, Yoh. You must truly want to see Anna again, don't you?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: (short of breath) "Wud... kynda... kwestyun'z... dat... Atemoo? Cowz Iy wawda... seey Annah ugen..." (What... kind of... quesiton is... that... Atemu? Of course I want to... see Anna again...)  
  
Atemu: He glances at the building through the metallic fence. "Well, you may just get your chance right now." He points at the building.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He turns his attention to the building, weakly lifting his head up. His eyes shoot open as he runs towards the fence, seemingly with renewed energy.  
  
A door opens and a short girl wearing an even shorter black dress runs out of the building, crying her eyes out. She collapses on her knees, right in the dirt, and covers her face with her hands.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He grins from ear to ear. (weakly excaliming) "Id'z Annah! Hay, Annah! Id'z mee, Yow! Iy'm heeyw!" (It's Anna! Hey, Anna! It's me, Yoh! I'm here!) He shakes the fence as hard as he can in his tired state.  
  
Chibi Anna: Being too far away from the fence, she can't hear Yoh calling to her at the time.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He screams at Anna from on the other side of the fence, but to no avail. (weakly yelling) "Annah!" (Anna!) He shakes the fence as hard as he can.  
  
Atemu: (calmly) "She can't hear you, Yoh. We're too late. This has got to be the handy work of Seto." He balls up a fist.  
  
Chibi Yoh: (frustrated) "Ow yeh? Wew Iy'm gowin iyn dew!" (Oh yeah? Well I'm going in there!) He clutches a hole in the fence with his fingers and pulls himself up. He wraps his bare feet around the cold metal fence as Yoh's weight pulls him onto the metal. He shrieks in pain, but bites his lip. "GrrrrAAAAAAAH!"  
  
Atemu: "Yoh, you are aware that I could just pass through the fence and possess someone inside and get somebody to let you in the front gate. This is too dangerous, and that fence is about four, five times your height."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He grits his teeth, trying to withstand the pain of his toes being driven onto the metal fencing by his own weight on them. (defiantly) "NOW! Yew kadt! Iduw... GrAAAA... tayk tew waung... an... rraAAAA... beesiydz..." (NO! You can't! It'll... grAAAA... take too long... and... rraAAAA... besides...)\  
  
Atemu: "What?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: He climbs higher on the fence, lifting himself higher and higher. (while screaming in agony) "If... yew pozzezz sumwun iyn dew agenzd deyr wywww-AAAA... den wud maykz yew aaAAAa... anee dyffowidt fwum Settow?" (If... you possess someone in there against their will-AAAA... then what makes you aaAAAa... any different from Seto?)  
  
Atemu: His eyes shoot open at Yoh's analysis of the situation.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He reaches the top of the fence at last, throwing his limp leg over the fence. He throws his weight off the fence and falls hard on the opposite side of the fence. "OWW!"  
  
Atemu: He effortlessly walks through the metal fence.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He is very short of breath. (gasping for air) "Iy'm... iyn... Juwzd a widdwo byd fuwdow..." (I'm... in... Just a little bit further...) He lifts himself off the dirty ground with all the strength remaining in him after climbing the fence, but he collapses on his face.  
  
Atemu: He bends down to Yoh. (attempting comforting) "You can take a rest now. You're in. You made it so far already..."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (defiantly) "Now! Iy'm sow kwowz..." (No! I'm so close...) He drags his weak and hindering body along the ground with sheer ambition fueling him. His stare is deeply fixed on Anna, who is only about forty or fifty feet away, still kneeling down and crying her eyes out. He reaches out to Anna with all his strength. (weakly) "I-i-iy pwomizd... dat Iy'd k- k-kum few yew..." (I-i-i promised... that I'd c-c-come for you...) He crawls forward on his hands and knees. He pulls himself closer and closer to Anna, dragging his own cumbersome and weak body with him.  
  
Chibi Anna: She continues crying, not realizing that Yoh is merely feet away.  
  
Atemu: Frozen in astonishment, he stands in front of the fence, staring in awe at Yoh's tired and weak, though crudely effective movements toward Anna. *Yoh's perseverance is amazing! For someone so young, he was able to go all night without sleep, food, or water, and is barely conscious, though he can still think of nothing better to do than to comfort Anna... and will not rest until he does!*  
  
Chibi Yoh: (weakly) "Annah... Iy'm kumyn... Iy pwomiz..." (Anna... I'm coming... I promise...)  
  
Chibi Anna: She faintly hears Yoh, though is so distraught that she thinks that she is only hearing Yoh's voice in her mind. "Yow... Iy kan styww heeyw hyz vowyz..." (Yoh... I can still hear his voice...)  
  
Chibi Yoh: (responding, in near whisper) "I-i-iym wiyd heew... fow yew..." (I-i-i'm right here... for you...) He crawls closer, slower as he approaches.  
  
Chibi Anna: (whispering to herself) "I-i-iy kan heeyw hym wiyk heez wiyd heew wid mee..." (I-i-i can hear him like he's right here with me...) She stares down.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He crawls closer yet. He tries to raise his voice, but hic voice ends up turning into a shrill squeak. "Annah... Iy awm heew...!" (Anna... I am here...!)  
  
Chibi Anna: She wipes her eyes with her right forearm, then commences crying again. "Iym sudj a wymp. A wuv stwuk wymp. Wiy dew Iy keeyp heewin Yow? Iy'm putetyk... bedtin awn a ded howz..." (I'm such a wimp. A love-struck wimp. Why do I keep hearing Yoh? I'm pathetic... betting on a dead horse...) A tear runs down her cheek, but someone reaches towards her face to wipe the tear away. She darts her head up and finds her staring at a battered, exhausted, and thoroughly beat up Yoh. Her eyes light up as an ear-to-ear smile crosses her face.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He places his hands on Anna's shoulders, partly to comfort Anna, and partially to hold himself up. "Yowr nawd putetyk. Iy sed Iy'd be heeyw fow yew, an yew waytid fuw mee... Datz nawd putetyk. Datz sweedt..." (You're not pathetic. I said I'd be here for you, and you waited for me... That's not pathetic. That's sweet...) He leans in and kisses Anna on the cheek.  
  
Chibi Anna: She places a hand on Yoh's scarred left cheek. "Ow, budt Yow, yer sow tiyowd... Yew gawda get sum wezdt!" (Oh, but Yoh, you're so tired... You've got to get some rest!)  
  
Chibi Yoh: (weakly, yet defiantly) "Nawda chanz, Annah. Iy few azweep da wazd tiym yew neeydyd kumfowding. Nau, Iy'm payin fow idt." (Not a chance, Anna. I fell asleep the last time you needed comforting. Now, I'm paying for it.)  
  
(flashback, two days ago, Asakura complex, that morning)-----  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Iz Yowmey gawn?" (Is Yohmei gone?)  
  
Chibi Anna: "Yez. Wud fow?" (Yes. What for?)  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Guwd, kuz Iy wawda sweep sum mowr!" (Good, because I want to sleep some more!) He collapses on his sleeping bag and immediately falls asleep.  
  
Chibi Anna: "Stewpid Yow!" (Stupid Yoh!)  
  
(flashback ends)-----  
  
Chibi Yoh: He holds Anna's hand and tries to squeeze tightly, but cannot muster the strength.  
  
Suddenly, a malicious and sinister laughter emanates from behind the two.  
  
Yoh and Anna turn their heads to see Chibi Seto leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed. A sharp, red glare emanates from his eyes.  
  
Chibi Seto: "Muahahahahaha! You've come, Yoh Asakura. I've been expecting you."  
  
Chibi Anna: She holds Yoh tightly around the waist. (mortified) "No-no- nou, st-t-tey awwey, Settow!" (N-n-no, st-t-tay away, Seto!)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He stares at Chibi Seto from over his shoulder. He cradles Anna in his arms with strength and security. (with renewed energy and rage) "Idz YEW! Wud dyd yew dew tew Annah?! Tew mee, nau!" (It's you! What did you do to Anna?! Tell me now!)  
  
Chibi Seto: He stares past Yoh and Anna. "Ah, and I've been expecting you, too. Pharaoh!"  
  
Atemu: He materializes in between Yoh and Seto. (furious) "Grr, Seto! Release that child, NOW!" He points at Seto with authority.  
  
Chibi Seto: "Why bother, Atemu? You were never able to tell me what to do in the past. So there is no reason to listen to you now." He leers at Anna.  
  
Chibi Anna: She shrinks away in Yoh's arms. (innocently) "Yow... Dow'd wed hym huwd mee..." (Yoh... Don't let him hurt me...)  
  
Chibi Seto: He grins widely. "The damage has been done to her. I'm done toying with her. You can have her back." He utters a sinister cackle.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He grits his teeth. (furiously) "Wud'z dat suwpowzd tew meeyn?" (What's that supposed to mean?)  
  
Chibi Anna: She shivers in fear as she stares with wide eyes into Seto's menacing glare. She breaks her stare and buries her face into Yoh's shirt.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He pets Anna's hair back. (comfortingly, to Anna) "Oh, puw Annah, idz owkey, idz owkey, Iy wowd wedt Settow huwd yew enny mow." (Oh, poor Anna, it's okay, it's okay, I won't let Seto hurt you anymore now.) He turns his attention back to Seto. (furiously, to Seto) "YEW! Yew wowd gedt awey wid dys!" (YOU! You won't get away with this!)  
  
Chibi Seto: (taunting) "Hmm, strong words. For such a shrimp, anyway. Didn't Pharaoh tell you about when I faced him in a Shadow Game, all those centuries ago?"  
  
Atemu: (intervening) "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
Chibi Seto: (sarcastically) "Oh, silly me. That's right. After you lost to me, I killed you with my Blue Eyes White Dragon. So you couldn't really know to warn Yoh that threatening me could get him killed."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (defiantly snorting at Seto) "Heh!"  
  
Chibi Seto: "And what was that, Yoh? Is that a challenge?"  
  
Chibi Yoh: (confidelntly) "Newbuddey huwdz miy pweshuz Annah. An Iyw kyw yew fow twyin! Iy'w-" (Nobody hurts my precious Anna. And I'll kill you for trying! I'll-)  
  
Chibi Anna: She pulls at Yoh's shirt. (worried) "Nou, Yow. Pweez, dowdt. Yew juwzd kaym bak, an Iy kawd bayw tew wewz yew agen." (No, Yoh. Please don't. You just came back, and I can't bare to loose you again.)  
  
Chibi Seto: (sarcastically) "Well, that sounds promising. Nobody thinks you can beat me."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (tenderly, to Anna) "Iy wowd wooz. Twuzd mee." (I won't lose. Trust me.) He kisses Anna on the forehead.  
  
Chibi Seto: (to Atemu) "Yoh seems even more cocky than you were right before you lost to me. I'll kill him. Then, I'll get rid of you."  
  
Atemu: (sincerely, to Yoh) "Yoh. From all you have shown me, I believe that you CAN beat Seto. You walked all over the land to find Anna, going without sleep and food to find her. A shadow game will be hard for one who has never done one before, and I would be honored if I could stand by your side against Seto."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (to Atemu) "Tankz, Atemoo. Iy kuwd yuwz a haynd." (Thanks, Atemu. I could use a hand.) (to Anna) "Seey Annah, Atemoo'z gunna' keeyp mee fwum gettyn kywwd biy Settow." (See Anna, Atemu is going to keep me from getting killed by Seto.) He brushes Anna's hair back again with his hand.  
  
Chibi Anna: She sighs, though not adequately comforted. (worried) "Bee kayfow..." (Be careful...)  
  
(A/N: Sorry for not getting out in a while. After re-hooking the internet, the computer began to throw little wobblies. Of course, that isn't happening anymore. You're reading this fic after all, right? And I promise that 'Why So Shy Tamao' followers will not be let down. They'll get fics just as good, if not better, which is my true opinion right now.  
  
Commentary time: I think my fics make "The Lord of the Rings" look short. On my word processor, it almost took up TWELVE, count 'em, TWELVE pages, and it's eating up eight pages here on my real computer. A lot happens here, Yoh and Anna meet again, Priest Seto takes his stand against Yoh and Atemu, and overall, things are wrapping up.  
  
Next chapter will probably take the longest to write. It involves the Shadow Game between Chibi Yoh and Seto. Duh. Haven't quite figured out exactly how to do that yet, but I'm working on it.  
  
And afterwards, HAI, the rumors ARE TRUE, at this rate the epilog will be the very FIRST SONGFIC by DrakeTheDuelist! Yay! No, no, I've already picked out my song, so no sending in reviews and emails changing my mind. Besides, you're still not quite sure just what is going to happen in the end. I'd tell you what the song is, but it would spoil the ending BIGTIME to tell ya'. And if you're not big on songfics, then you have two options: read and skip the song part, or don't read at all, which I would honestly recommend to no one. It's a really kawaii ending. (Gee I sure hope I spelled that right...) Gomen, so wait and find out just what the lucky tune is...) 


	10. Prepare for the Shadow Game!

(A/N: Chapter 10 is here at last Chibi Beginnings has reached Chapter 10! Oh, and plans to show Seto versus Gozuboro are now no longer going to happen. I mean, Seto's kinda' too possessed to face Gozuboro in chess.  
  
I don't own Shaman King or Yugioh. I also don't own the Yugioh manga. You'll see what that's for soon enough.)  
  
Chapter 10: Prepare for the Shadow Game!  
  
Chibi Yoh and Chibi / Priest Seto stand on opposite sides of a small schoolyard-like baseball field. Seto stands at the second base position, and Chibi Yoh stands at the home plate position. Chibi Anna latches herself onto Chibi Yoh's arm.  
  
Priest Seto: He possesses Chibi Seto entirely, corrupting his voice with a deep undertone. "Let the Shadow Game begin!"  
  
Chibi Yoh: (STILL exhausted, remember...) "H-hau wee dew dys Shaddew Gaym ting?" (H-How do we do this Shadow Game thing?)  
  
Atemu: He materializes next to Yoh. "I have no idea. In my day, Shadow Games were played with giant stone tablets. I am unsure of what to do without those tablets here."  
  
Priest Seto: (possessed) "Hehehe, quite observant, Pharaoh. There aren't the stone tablets that we used to have back in those days. But do not be fooled, this match WILL be played with stone!"  
  
Atemu: "How?"  
  
Chibi Anna: (to Chibi Yoh) "Iy dowd uwdewstayd. Wiy dew ya gawda fiyd Settow? Wud yf... hee..." (I don't understand. Why do you have to fight Seto? What if... he...)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He hugs her close. "Iy'w bee owkey, Annah. Dowd fowgedt, da Fawwow uv Eegipt iz awn miy siyd. Iy kawd wooz." (I'll be okay, Anna. Don't forget, the Pharaoh of Egypt is on my side. I can't lose.)  
  
Priest Seto: (impatiently) "Now that your goodbyes are done, it's time to begin the game. Yes, it's true. This Shadow Game will involve monsters arising from stone."  
  
Atemu: "Yes, I know. Go on."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Yeh, we'yw fawwin uzweep ovuw heew, sew huwee uwp!" (Yeah, we're falling asleep over here, so hurry up!)  
  
Priest Seto: "Simply put, I will give you five minutes to gather seven stones. Small stones, big stones, it doesn't even matter to me. So long as you realize that forfeiting here and now is a better usage of your time and mine."  
  
Chibi Yoh: (to Priest Seto) "Wuddevew, juwzd stawd da kwok!" (Whatever, just start the clock!) He places his hands on Anna's shoulders. (softly, to Anna) "Iy'w bee bak. Dowd wooz howp fow a sekond." (I'll be back. Don't lose hope for a second.) He runs towards the orphanage building.  
  
Priest Seto: He shoots a glare at Anna. (confidently) "Heh. Take a good look. Because after our battle, all that'll be left of all that unshakable hope will be nothing more than a bloody mess at your feet!"  
  
Chibi Anna: She shrinks away, no longer having Yoh by her side to protect her. (scared) "W-wuddew yew guwnew dew ta mee?" (W-what are you going to do to me?)  
  
Atemu: (to Priest Seto) "SETO! Your battle is with Yoh, not with Anna, so leave her alone!"  
  
Priest Seto: "Of course, Atemu, you're none the wiser. I do plan to do something to Anna. Which is why I'm going to let her be right now."  
  
Atemu: (confused) "What? That makes no sense!"  
  
Priest Seto: "Confused? All will be made clear soon enough, Pharaoh! Ahahahahah!"  
  
Chibi Seto: Somehow, he breaks out of Priest Seto's control, leaving him, at the other end of the field. He is too frightened to take a step. (begging) "Please! Please help me!"  
  
Priest Seto: "Shut up, you weak fool!" He retakes control and resumes shooting a blood-chilling stare at Anna.  
  
Chibi Anna: (confused) "Wud?" (What?)  
  
Atemu: He raises a fist. "Seto, you possess that boy against his will!"  
  
Priest Seto: "Well, of course. Do you think that someone as powerful as me needs to ask permission to use the body of someone else to my own ends?"  
  
Chibi Anna: (to the Chibi Seto inside) "Settow! Iy'm sawee, budt Keenow nevow gawdt tew haw tew exowsiyz speewidts... Iy wyzh Iy kuwd hewp..." (Seto! I'm sorry, but Kino never got to how to exorcise spirits... I wish I could help...)  
  
Atemu: He glances down at Anna. "What? You are familiar with such possession?"  
  
Chibi Anna: "Wud yew tynk?" (What do you think?) She shakes her blue prayer beads. "Yew tynk deez aw fow fashin?" (You think I wear these for fashion?)  
  
Priest Seto: "Which is why I need to dispose of Anna, because for every second in her presence, my power is lessened. Her very presence as an Itako-" He is interrupted as Chibi Seto retakes control.  
  
Chibi Seto: (taking control again) "Anna! Please, help! Do something!"  
  
Chibi Anna: (meekly and helplessly) "Settow..." (Seto...)  
  
Chibi Seto: "Anna! During... that chess game... I'm sorry, that wasn't me, I swear-"  
  
Priest Seto: He retakes control and grits his teeth. "Well, you can see how frustrating this gets, you two."  
  
Chibi Anna: (faking confidence) "Yow'z guwna' kyw yew!" (Yoh's going to kill you!)  
  
Priest Seto: He glances out the corner of his eye. "We'll see, won't we? Here comes your hero, Yoh. With his seven stones, no doubt."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He jogs past Priest Seto and runs towards Anna at full speed. In his hands are several small stones. "Annah, Iy'm kummin!" (Anna! I'm coming!) He comes to a stop at the home plate of the baseball field, where Atemu and Anna wait for him.  
  
Atemu: (glad) "Yow, yowr bak!" (Yoh, you're back!)  
  
Chibi Yoh: He opens his hands for Atemu to see. "Chek 'im awdt, Iy tink Iy gawd cum wynnewz!" (Check 'em out, I think I got some winners!)  
  
Atemu: He scrutinizes the seven smooth stones in Yoh's small hands. "Hmm, impressive, Yoh. We might just win this game yet." *Who am I trying to fool? Pretty stones don't guarantee us anything! It's the monsters inside that matter... We're doomed... All doomed!*  
  
Priest Seto: "Well, it's time for the rules. We use our stones to invoke the monsters in the stones." He pulls seven stones from his pocket and holds up the stones. "These monsters will appear in the stones when the game begins. The object is to destroy all of a player's stones. But..." He grins maliciously.  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Wud?" (What?)  
  
Priest Seto: "But there is an alternate way to win. To kill the player, by wiping out his life. A player's life will be magically represented when the game begins. When that life runs out, a player will die. Similarly, losing all one's stones will cause the opponent to die. The last one living is the winner."  
  
Chibi Yoh: "Sawds sippow enuff. Haw'z dis stawdt?" (Sounds simple enough. How does this start?)  
  
Priest Seto: He glares at Atemu. "Would you like to explain that detail for me, Pharaoh?"  
  
Atemu: He stares back. (morbidly) "We must pay our homage to the Shadows. With a live human offering by each participant..."  
  
Chibi Yoh and Chibi Anna: They stare at Atemu in shock. "Wud?! Wiyv sakwofiyz?!" (What?! Live sacrifice?!)  
  
Atemu: "Yes." He stares at Anna sorrowfully. "Do not worry, little one. The sacrifice will only be killed if the Shaodws are displeased with the sorcerer and he loses the Shadow Game."  
  
Chibi Anna: She backsteps away. (panicing) "W-wud, Iy dow'd gedt idt, wiy yew staywin adt mee wiyk dadt? Wud yew neeyd tew expwayn fowr? Yow, dew sumfin!" (W-what, I don't get it, why are you staring at me like that? What did you need to explain for? Yoh, do something!)  
  
Dark and ominous clouds gather in the sky.  
  
Priest Seto: "Heh, hurry up, Yoh. The Shadows will only begin our game if the sacrifice is present!  
  
Chibi Yoh: He turns to face Seto. "Hay, waydt! Wuddabowd yer sakwofiyz?" (Hey, wait! What about your sacrifice?)  
  
Priest Seto: He points behind himself with his thumb. (calmly) "Right behind me."  
  
Mokuba: He stands behind Priest Seto like a statue, staring on blankly.  
  
Priest Seto: "Now, what about yours?"  
  
Thunder can be heard in the sky as raging winds whip up. Chibi Yoh and Chibi Anna are nearly swept off their feet by the windstorm. They hold onto each other in order to keep from flying off. But to no avail.  
  
Chibi Anna: The wind sends her flying out of Yoh's arms, and hurtling towards the baseball cage behind Yoh. She crashes onto the cage back-first and falls unconscious. As if living, the baseball cage mysteriously bends and wraps around Chibi Anna's hands, suspending her to the cage.  
  
Chibi Yoh: He stares back in horror. "NOW, ANNAH!" (NO, ANNA!)  
  
Atemu: He stands in place, unaffected by the freak windstorm. (hopelessly) "It's no use, Yoh, the Shadows are going to get their sacrifice one way or another. The only way to free her is to beat Seto." He stares at Priest Seto from across the field. "The only way out of a Shadow Game is through."  
  
Chibi Yoh: He grits his teeth and turns to face Seto. "Wew, dat'z wud wew gunna' dew den!" (Well, that's what we're going to do then!) He grips the seven stones in his hands tightly.  
  
Chibi Seto: "And now the sacrifices are in place, it's time to duel!" He holds up one of his seven stones confidently.  
  
(A/N: Okay, there needed to be a bit of groundwork laid out before the duel between Yoh and Seto can actually happen.  
  
And to all Anna-fans, let me make this ABUNDANTLY CLEAR! Anna is NOT dead yet, nor is Mokuba. For those of us who have seen the duel between YamiYugi and Yami Malik in the Yugioh anime or in the manga, the 'sacrifices' work exactly the same. Instead of the duelists themselves taking the pain of the attacks, the sacrifice takes the hit instead, and when the sacrifice is killed (which happens when the player's life points are reduced to zero), the losing duelist dies. In that case, good luck, Yoh. You'll need it.  
  
For the most part, I'm going by the duel rules in the Yugioh manga, which is why I said that I didn't own it. Pretty much the same principles that you're familiar with, but there are some sleight changes that I threw in to account for the fact that the players aren't using cards just yet, and for some other reason that I won't tell you yet...  
  
Duel Rules: -Once per turn, a player may throw out one stone and declare any attacks. The player may also invoke their spell during their turn. (see below for spell rules)  
  
-2000 LP per player. The winner is the last duelist whose sacrifice is left standing (In other words, the last to have life points left is the winner).  
  
-When a player's monster is destroyed by an attack declared by that player (for example, I command Kuriboh to attack Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon... yeah right), the player that declared the attack may make one free summon.  
  
-One attack per monster per turn only. (Direct attacks ALLOWED.)  
  
-Each player's spirit is allotted ONE magical spell per game.  
  
-Instead of each sacrifice taking physical damage, part of that sacrifice's soul is erased. (But Yoh doesn't realize this yet ...) When the sacrifice's soul has been completely erased, the sacrifice is declared comatose and dead. The shadow magic then automatically drags the loser's soul(s) to the Shadow Realm.  
  
-Each stone carries the soul of one monster used by the ghost on each side in their respective histories. (so Yoh can summon such monsters like Dark Magician, and Priest Seto will have access to his Blue Eyes White Dragon.)  
  
Well, I hope this clears things up. Next chapter is the duel. Promise.) 


	11. Magic and Wizards, Chibi Style!

(A/N: Ah, at last, DrakeTheDuelist has returned to ! And the first thing on the agenda, somebody mentioned that they wanted to see Chibi Beginnings get finished, and that doesn't seem too unreasonable now that I have no other immediate obligations right now. I might as well finish what I start, ne? Well, best not delay it any more, so here it is.)  
  
Chapter 11: Magic and Wizards, Chibi Style!  
  
Chibi Seto continues staring at Yoh across the baseball field with those cold, calculating eyes that cause Yoh to freeze stiff. He tosses a small stone to himself repeatedly. "This is the beginning of your defeat, runt! I call upon the Hitotsu-Me Giant!" exclaims Seto. He tosses the rock into the air.  
  
The rock that Seto just threw into the air begins hovering above the ground as a mysterious green mist appears out of nowhere and envelops the small stone. Suddenly, after a long pause, a large, green foot steps out of the smoke and stomps on the ground with a loud thud. The Cyclops steps entirely out of the cloaking green mist and emits a bellowing roar.  
  
Chibi Yoh stands in place, with his knees shaking in fear as he stares up at the hideous green giant. "S-s-sew dys iz a Saddou Gaym... Ut-t-t-temmoo, wudda I dew?" (S-s-so this is a Shadow Game... At-t-t-temu, what do I do?) he stutters in fear.  
  
Atemu levitates at Yoh's side and stares at the Hitotsu-Me Giant, unsure of the reason behind Seto's move. "Stand back, toss a rock, and hope for the best. That's all you can do..." Atemu warns his small companion, with much despair in his voice.  
  
Yoh takes one of the small pebbles into his right hand and grips as tight as his stubby fingers can grip. He then stares back at the batting cage right behind him, at the lifeless figure of Anna bound to the cage, hanging by her wrists. Yoh grips even tighter on the stone at seeing such an appalling fate befall Anna. 'Diz wunz fow yew, Annah.' Yoh thinks to himself as he turns to face Seto. He grits his teeth and tosses the stone high into the air.  
  
A small tornado appears around the rock as it begins to peak. The tornado touches the ground and kicks up a cloud of dust. A moment later, out of that cloud of dust, a reptilian snarl can be heard, and a relatively small, blue and winged reptile ascends out of the cloud.  
  
Atemu stares up at the flying reptile and grins lightly. "Hmm, Yoh summoned a Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. We just might win this Shadow Game." Atemu mutters to himself.  
  
Yoh overhears Atemu's mutterings and grins widely. As the Winged Dragon descends, the dust cloud is blown away. "Sew, idz a Wyng Dwagin. Wukz tuff. Tiym tew fynd awd hau tuff," (So, it's a Winged Dragon. Looks tough. Time to find out how tough.) Yoh says to himself.  
  
Atemu stares across the field, at Seto. "And the Winged Dragon is stronger than your Hitotsu-Me Giant, so Yoh wins this battle," Atemu declares.  
  
Seto only scoffs at Atemu. "Well it's only one attack. And there's more to a Shadow Game than the first round. So go ahead and launch your attack, Yoh. It's not like it makes any difference," Seto taunts.  
  
Yoh glares at Seto suddenly. "Dyz iz powsownow... Wyng Dwagin, uttak!" (This is personal... Winged Dragon, attack!) Yoh shouts.  
  
The Winged Dragon soars high into the air and suddenly dives down like a falcon. It opens its mouth as it descends on the Hitotsu-Me Giant and spits a fireball at it. As soon as the fireball makes contact, Hitotsu-Me Giant explodes in a bright, firey flash. The Winged Dragon immediately spreads its wings and catches itself in its fall, then flies back down to the ground slowly and lands in front of Yoh and Atemu.  
  
Seto begins to cackle. "hehehehehe... You think that just because you won some feeble conflict with one of my weakest monsters that you've won already? Well allow me to disappoint. There's more to come for the both of you," Seto taunts again. He then points back with his thumb at Mokuba, who still stands lifelessly behind Seto. "Remember what I said about the sacrifice? When you do damage to the sorcerer, the damage is magically represented on the sacrifice. So by taking the lead, you've also just taken your first step in ending the life of this pitiful little kid. Now, witness what happens to the sacrifice of a Shadow Game! Ahahahaha!"  
  
A shadowy tentacle comes out of the dark abyss of the ground and wraps around Mokuba's feet, holding him in place.  
  
Yoh takes a step back as the nauseating tentacle begins to envelop Mokuba. "Eeeewwww, dat'z wud'll happyn tew Annah yf Iy tayk a hidt... Kawd wedt dat happin..." (Eewww, that's what will happen to Anna if I take a hit... Can't let that happen...) Yoh mutters to himself.  
  
Seto tosses another stone into the air, and the stone lands on the ground. As soon as the stone hits the ground, several green, slimy tentacles reach through the ground and grab the stone. The monster begins to surface from underground, throwing off the earth that buries it in order to get to the surface. A half-human, half-worm beast fully emerges from the dirt. "And my Wicked Worm Beast will cause the same fate to befall your sacrifice!" Seto declares.  
  
The wormlike monster stares at the Winged Dragon and opens its sickening mouth. Suddenly, a stream of glowing green acid shoots out the beast's mouth and rushes at the Winged Dragon.  
  
Atemu flinches away as the acid stream rushes at Winged Dragon. "Yoh, your monster is destroyed... That acid can boil away any monster," Atemu claims, with little hope in the chances of Yoh's overall survival.  
  
Yoh grins as the attack rushes at the dragon. "Wyng Dwagin, fwiy away! Dawdg da assid!" (Winged Dragon, fly away! Dodge the acid!) Yoh commands the Winged Dragon.  
  
At hearing this order, the Winged Dragon spreads its large wings and jumps off the ground, flying into the air and evading the stream of acid. It snarls at the hideous beast that attacked it and rears its head back. It throws its head forward and throws a fireball from its mouth at the Wicked Worm Beast. The fireball contacts and blows up the Wicked Worm Beast.  
  
Seto steps back in shock. "NO! How could that dragon evade my monster's attack?! It's not possible!" Seto stutters in disbelief.  
  
Atemu grins as he stares down at his small and enthusiastic companion, completely shocked that Yoh's move was successful. "Yoh, I don't know how you did that, but you managed to avert another of Seto's monsters. Impressive, for a seven-year old," Atemu compliments Yoh.  
  
Yoh rubs the back of his head and grins widely at Atemu. "Tankz, Utemoo," (Thanks, Atemu) Yoh says humbly.  
  
Seto grits his teeth and throws another rock out onto the field. "Your celebration is over, Yoh! Now back to business. Since I lost a monster due to my own attack, I have to summon another monster now to defend myself. And I choose this shield monster, Saggi the Dark Clown!" The rock that Seto threw out onto the field shape-shifts into an eerie-looking clown with its legs crossed. The clown cackles monstrously.  
  
Yoh balls a fist and stares at Seto's new monster with complete confidence in his own monster's strength. "Tiym ta gow twee fow twee! Wyng Dwagin, uttak!" (Time to go three for three! Winged Dragon, attack!) Yoh commands his monster.  
  
The mighty dragon lunges towards Saggi immediately at hearing Yoh's command.  
  
Atemu holds up his hand. "NO! Yoh, stop, Winged Dragon can't destroy Saggi like that!" Atemu warns.  
  
Seto grins at Atemu. "Hmph. Too late, Pharaoh. It looks like Yoh should've done a better job of listening to your advice. Oh well, he'll learn the hard way that he can't destroy my monster..." Seto mocks.  
  
Winged Dragon shoots a bright orange fireball at Saggi, but Saggi puts its hands up in front of it. Saggi's hands glow an eerie black as the fireball that Winged Dragon launched at it and stops it, then sends the fireball flying back at the dragon. The fireball smacks Winged Dragon in the face, but does not destroy it. Dazed, the dragon shakes its head back and forth and returns to normal.  
  
Yoh gasps in shock. "Wud?! Wyng Dwagin destwoyd tew mawnstowz, but dat wun iz stwangow!" (What?! Winged Dragon destroyed two monsters, but that one is stronger!) Yoh exclaims.  
  
Seto begins snickering at Yoh's foolish move. "Mehehehehe... Poor fool. My monster may not be physically offensive, like yours is, but it can defend from your attack. And it gets worse... Atemu, tell the kid what happens to the sacrifice when he fails to destroy my monster in an attack..."  
  
Atemu stares down at Yoh. "I'm sorry, Yoh. The sacrifice... it... she... just look behind you..." Atemu mutters to Yoh, once again with despair in his voice.  
  
Yoh turns back slowly to see Anna hanging from the batting cage. A small black tentacle creeps up the cage and grabs Anna by the ankle. Anna's face twists slightly in agony as the tentacle appears as if it is ripping out a piece of her soul. Yoh can only stare on in horror. "N-n-nou... Miy mystayk... dyd dat... tew hew..." (N-n-no... My mistake... did that... to her...) Yoh utters under his breath as he drops to his knees.  
  
Atemu glares at Yoh while he mopes over his mistake. "Yoh, get up! If you don't, the rest of her will be devoured by the darkness!" Atemu warns Yoh.  
  
Yoh slowly gets off his knees and wipes a few tears off his face with his arm. He stands fully to his feet and turns around to face Seto. He lifts his head and stares Seto in the eye and glares sharply. "Yew... Iy wowd mayk dat mystayk ugen!" (You... I won't make that mistake again!) Yoh snarls at Seto as he tosses another rock onto the field.  
  
The rock changes shape into a barbarian-like orc monster with a horn on its forehead.  
  
Atemu grits his teeth. "No, an Imp... A monster like that can't stand up to Saggi when it defends itself like that..." Atemu complains at seeing the monster Yoh called on.  
  
Yoh scratches his head, and then snaps his fingers. "Aha! Iv Settow kan dyffend, sew kan Iy!" (Aha! If Seto can defend, so can I!) Yoh exclaims as he points at the Imp monster. "Dyffend yowrsewf!" (Defend yourself!) Yoh commands the Imp.  
  
The Imp crouches down at Yoh's side, bracing itself for an incoming attack.  
  
Seto snickers. "Hmph, an Imp? Against Saggi? Not a chance. And now, thanks to a magic spell, your monsters won't be able to stand up to Saggi's attacks! I call on the magic of Negative Energy!" Seto shouts as he points at Saggi. A dark tentacle, like the ones that bind both Anna and Mokuba, springs up out of the ground and wraps around Saggi. The clown uncrosses its legs and stands up, holding its arms high above its head.  
  
"Majik Speww? Wuz dat?" (Magic Spell? What's that?) Yoh asks Atemu.  
  
Atemu balls up a fist and stares down at Yoh. "A magic spell is a once-per- game effect that a sorcerer can evoke. It's supposed to be used as a lifeline. But Seto is using it to mock us..." He then glares at Seto with a deep snarl in his voice. "Seto, how could you? You need to use a Magic Spell to crush a beginner? You need to use such advanced tactics to beat someone who doesn't have a chance of beating you in the first place? Do you have no mercy?!" Atemu yells as he shakes his fist at Seto.  
  
Seto mocks Atemu, pretending to be hard of hearing by cupping his hand over his ear. "Hmm? What was that, Pharaoh? Sorry, I missed that part. In fact, I missed everything after the part where you said that Yoh is just a beginner who has no chance of beating me. How about you, Yoh? Did you hear that part?" Seto says sarcastically.  
  
Yoh freezes up and stares up at Atemu. "Huw? Utemoo, dyd yew wewey sey dat?" (Huh? Atemu, did you really say that?) Yoh asks Atemu, staring up at him with big, teary eyes.  
  
Atemu glances at Seto, who glares back with a smirk of confidence, then down at Yoh, whose eyes water at the prospect of failure, and then back at Anna, her lifeless body hanging off the batting cage, filling Atemu with great sorrow for what he helped to do. 'No Yoh, he's right... I didn't think you could win when I led you into this. For that... everyone, I am sorry,' Atemu thinks to himself. 'For leading Yoh and Anna into this game of such high stakes, knowing full well that Seto could kill them, their fate is my responsibility... Their blood... is on my hands!' Atemu stares down and clenches his fist tightly.  
  
(A/N: Gomen nasai, it's been forever since I've done anything on this fic or any other fic for that matter. This gets better, I promise. And for those of you who skipped ahead to chapter 11 w/o rereading the previous chapters, to cease your worries, NO, Anna is NOT DEAD! What fun would the Shadow Game be then? Oh, and I don't own Shaman King or Yugioh.) 


	12. Magic and Wizards, Chibi Style! Part II

(A/N: I'm glad people liked the 11th chapter of Chibi Beginnings, and yes, the non-script format is here to stay. The duel continues. Oh, and just making sure, you all DO know that Atemu is Yami, right? Otherwise these next couple chapters could get very confusing...  
  
And without further ado, here's the 12th chapter!)  
  
Chapter 12: Magic and Wizards: Chibi Style! (Part II)  
  
Yoh stares up at Atemu with big, watery, chibi eyes. "Utemoo, pweez tew mee yew didund sey dat Iym gunna wooz..." (Atemu, please tell me you didn't say that I'm gonna' lose...) Yoh stutters to Atemu.  
  
Atemu snarls at Seto. "Grr, get on with the duel, Seto!" Atemu exclaims, ignoring Yoh.  
  
Seto shrugs. "Oh well. It looks like I've done enough emotional damage for now. So I can now put on the REAL pain!" Seto says as he points to Saggi, still standing tall in the center of the field. "You remember my Negative Energy spell, don't you? Well allow me to explain. This spell allows me to triple the strength of a monster that relies on Shadow magic for attack strength, and Saggi fits in that category. And since Saggi's power is now three times what it was before, I can destroy your feeble Winged Dragon here and now!" Seto continues.  
  
Saggi continues holding its hands above its head, and a ball of black lightning gathers in its palms. It points the lightning ball at the Winged Dragon and lets it fly, emitting another monstrous cackle. On impact with the lightning ball, the Winged Dragon vanishes into thin air, emitting a reptilian snarl of pain.  
  
Yoh grits his teeth and stares defiantly at Seto. "Sew wud? Yew wozt tew monstaws, an Iy juwzd wozd miy fowzt. Iy'm styw in da weed..." (So what?" You lost two monsters, and I just lost my first. I'm still in the lead...) Yoh claims, lying to himself through his teeth.  
  
Seto grins widely again. "Well you may have a monster advantage now, but I have a sacrifice advantage." He points behind Yoh, at Anna.  
  
Yoh and Atemu both look back to see Anna's helpless form hanging off the batting cage by her hands. The tentacle that was wrapped around her foot creeps higher up Anna's legs, enveloping her up to her knees in shadowy, slimy tentacles.  
  
Yoh turns back to face Seto, taking a rock into his hand and gripping it tightly. "Iy... wowt... fowgiv... yew!" (I... won't... forgive... you!) Yoh exclaims, infuriated at himself for being unable to help Anna. Yoh prepares to toss the stone out and summon another monster, but Atemu interrupts him.  
  
"Yoh, WAIT!" Atemu warns Yoh. "Yoh, the strength of the monsters that you summon depends on your calmness. The last time you threw out a rock so recklessly, all you got was an Imp, but when you threw out your first rock, when you were calm and confident about your victory, you summoned the mighty Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress. If you're not calm when you make this throw, you will most definitely lose this game..."  
  
Yoh holds his hand steady, right before tossing the stone, and turns to face Atemu. "Sew wud? Yew sed Iy'd wooz ennywey, sew id dowd maddow, wyte?" (So what? You said I'd lose anyway, so it doesn't matter, right?) Yoh says as he glares at Atemu with contempt.  
  
Seto grins as he notices that Atemu and Yoh are beginning to bicker. As the two continue fighting, his smile turns to a stare of disgust. "Hey, are you going to make your move today?!" he calls out to Yoh and Atemu.  
  
Atemu and Yoh stare away from each other, at Seto. Both stare scornfully at him.  
  
Yoh gets ready to toss the small stone out onto the field, but is interrupted again.  
  
Atemu holds up his hand. "Yoh, stop," he warns Yoh again.  
  
Yoh's face twists in disgust at being unable to get on with the game. "Nau wud?" (Now what?) Yoh asks, thoroughly tired of hearing Atemu's speeches.  
  
Atemu lowers his hand. "Yoh, you must be calm. If not, you'll only succeed in calling on weaker monsters, like that Imp you summoned. Remember your perseverance. You told me once that you didn't know if you had the strength to find Anna, but that you would do everything in your power to try. And look how far you've come. If you let Seto win now, everything you've done up until now is all in vain. Trust in yourself, and in the power of your heart, and that will lead you through this game." Atemu says to Yoh.  
  
Yoh stands very still, listening attentively to what Atemu had to say. His scornful expression grows into a cheery grin. "Hay, yanow... yor rite... Aftow aww Iy kaym twu ta weskew Annah, Iy dydund cum aww dys wey juwzd ta ged beedt daun heew an nau..." (Hey, y'know... you're right... After all I came through to rescue Anna, I didn't come all this way just to get beat down here and now...) Yoh states with growing enthusiasm and self confidence.  
  
Seto is thoroughly frustrated that Yoh isn't taking his turn, but even more frustrated that Yoh is getting more confident. "Grr, Yoh! Atemu! Just make your move and accept your fate!"  
  
Yoh looks back at Seto with a cheesy grin. "Naw wey, Settow! Axxypt yar owd fayt!" (No way, Seto! Accept your own fate!) Yoh yells as he tosses his stone into the air.  
  
The stone vanishes as a heavily armored and armed knight appears, riding a majestic purple horse. The horse lets out a mighty neigh and throws its front hooves high into the air. The mighty knight holds two large, red lances, one in each hand.  
  
Yoh and Atemu both grin widely at the monster that just appeared.  
  
Atemu's jaw drops. "I-I can't believe it! Yoh, that monster, it's one of the strongest monsters among all human Shadow monsters! Yoh, allow me to introduce you to Gaia, the Fierce Knight!"  
  
Yoh grins widely, staring at the majestic soldier that he just called on. "Gaya, da Feewz Nyte! Heez guwna hewp mee sayv Annah!" (Gaia, the Fierce Knight! He can help me save Anna!) Yoh exclaims. He stares past Gaia, at Seto and Saggi.  
  
Seto steps back. "N-n-not Gaia! How did such a runt manage to summon Gaia?" Seto stutters in fear.  
  
Yoh points at Saggi. "Awwite! Gaya, destwoy Zawgee!" (Alright! Gaia, destroy Saggi!) Yoh commands.  
  
At hearing its master's order, Gaia grabs hold of the reigns on his horse and whips it. It then holds out its long lances as it approaches Saggi at lightning speed. The lances make contact with Saggi, kicking up small tornadoes with its lances, ripping Saggi into many brightly colored pieces. The winds created by Gaia's lances go on and blow at Seto, whipping his hair back.  
  
Seto braces himself by putting his arm up in front of his face and screams in pain as the follow-through of Gaia's attack collided with him. When the wind dies down, he lowers his arm and snarls at the monster that destroyed Saggi. Behind Seto, the slimy tentacles that grasp Mokuba move up his legs and bind him up to his mid-thigh.  
  
Seto takes yet another stone into his hand and tosses it to himself repeatedly. "Well your monster may be strong, Yoh. I'll give you credit for being the luckiest runt I've ever seen. But..." Seto says as he stares at the stone in his hand. "...the victor of this game will ultimately be me!" Seto finishes as he tosses the stone in his hand into the air.  
  
As the stone begins to peak, it glows with a majestic bright light as it takes a new shape. The small stone morphs into a glistening white winged dragon with a smooth body and large white wings. The dragon lets out a snarl that causes both Yoh and Atemu to freeze up.  
  
Atemu stares into the light as his pupils dilate in the brilliant flash of light. "I-i-impossible... A Blue Eyes White Dragon!" Atemu stutters.  
  
Yoh's jaw hangs wide open as he stares into the cold, reptilian eyes of the monster that Seto summoned. "B-b-bwu iyz... dat'z da mawnstow fwum miy niytmaw..." Yoh mutters in shock.  
  
The Blue Eyes White Dragon descends low to the ground and opens its mouth widely. A ball of bluish, white lightning gathers in the back of the dragon's mouth. The lightning focuses itself into a solid sphere of bright light. The dragon turns its long neck to face Gaia, and the ball of lightning in its mouth discharges into an immensely potent laser beam directed at Gaia. The beam tears through the heavily armored horseman as the horse lets out a final, pain-filled neigh before vanishing. With Gaia out of the way, the beam continues to drive on, in Yoh's direction. The beam makes contact with Yoh, and the small child screams in pain, but unlike Gaia, Yoh isn't torn limb from limb. The attack dies down.  
  
"N-nou, nawd ugen..." Yoh utters hopelessly as he stares back at the batting cage. The tentacles that were wrapped around Anna's legs creep up her body and slowly ensnare the helpless little girl up to her waist.  
  
Yoh turns back to Seto and stares up at the snarling and imposing Blue Eyes White Dragon. Yoh tosses one stone from his hand out with all his might. The stone vaporizes and a man-sized, two-legged, lion with a pitch black mane around its neck appears. "Sew Utemoo, wuz diz, an kan id destwoy da bwu iys?" (So Atemu, what is this, and can it destroy the Blue Eyes?) Yoh asks Atemu.  
  
Atemu shakes his head back and forth. "No, Yoh. This monster, Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts, doesn't stand a chance against Blue Eyes White Dragon in a head-on attack. Your best option now is to make your monster defend itself. That way, regardless of how bad the Blue Eyes White Dragon destroys it, you'll be keeping Anna safe from further engulfment in the darkness."  
  
Yoh turns to face his new monster again. "Wew, yew huwd da Fawwow, dyffend yowrsewf," (Well, you heard the Pharaoh, defend yourself.) Yoh commands Gazelle.  
  
The lion crouches down on all four limbs, bracing itself for an attack. The beast growls in defiance.  
  
Seto takes another rock into his hands and tosses it to himself repeatedly. "It's over..." Seto claims, his confidence building to arrogance. He tosses another stone into the air.  
  
Like the previous stone Seto tossed into the air, this stone also disappears into a radiant flash of light, then morphs into another majestic, smooth-skinned, Blue Eyes White Dragon. This dragon joins the other Blue Eyes White Dragon in mid flight above the ground, and both roar at Yoh loudly.  
  
Seto begins to snicker at Yoh and his defending Gazelle. "Hehehehehe... Yoh, your monster may be prepared to deal with one Blue Eyes attack, but I wonder if it can withstand two... I wonder... Let's find out..." Seto comments snidely. "Burst Stream attack!" Seto commands his dragons.  
  
Both Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragons gather lightning into their mouths and focus that lightning into concentrated spheres of energy, just like the last attack. The dragons simultaneously release their bright and powerful beams in the direction of Yoh's Gazelle, but...  
  
Right before the beams make contact with Gazelle, the horned goblin on Yoh's side of the field jumps towards Gazelle and throws itself in the path of the beams. The beams tear through both monsters with ease, but the beams die down before they can make contact with Yoh.  
  
Yoh grins widely at how the beams failed to impact him with the force that tore his other monsters apart. "Hay Settow, iv yew hayv tew uttakz, an Iy hav tew dyfensez, den yowr uttakz kansow owdt an needow Annah ow Iy git huwdt. Wudda ya' sey 'bowdt dat? Nyaw!" (Hey Seto, if you have two attacks, and I have two defenses, then your attacks cancel out and neither Anna or I get hurt. What do you say about that? Nyah!) Yoh taunts as he sticks his tongue out at Seto and pulls down one of his eyelids with his finger.  
  
Deeply insulted by Yoh, he grits his teeth and snarls. "Grr, laugh it up while you can, because you won't be able to summon two monsters to defend you twice next round, so you can say your goodbyes to your 'precious' Anna, and start getting used to your eternal home, the Shadow Realm! Ahahahaha!" Seto taunts maniacally.  
  
Yoh takes a step back, worried by what Seto said to him. "E-o, heez wiyt..." (Uh-oh, he's right...) Yoh mutters under his breath.  
  
Atemu grits his teeth and steps in front of Yoh. "Yoh, stand back. I have a plan to get us out of this. Like Seto, I have a magic spell to use against him!" Atemu declares as he points to the sky.  
  
Yoh stares up at the dark and ominous clouds, unsure of what Atemu is pointing at. "Wuz up deyw? Kwowd majyk?" (What's up there? Cloud magic?) Yoh asks inquisitively.  
  
(A/N: That's the end of that one. I'm torturing you all, aren't I? Now Yoh is facing down two Blue Eyes White Dragons, poised to wipe out the poor chibi and his darling Anna. And what is Atemu up to? What could that spell be? Find out next time I post: _Chibi Beginnings: Magic and Wizards, Chibi Style, Part III_) 


	13. Magic and Wizards, Chibi Style! Part III

(A/N: Yes, Drake is very quick on the draw nowadays, posting on a semi- daily basis. I don't want to forget about this fic again. So in order to go about that, I'd better just write the story. I don't own YGO or Shaman King.)  
  
Last time, Seto summoned two Blue Eyes White Dragons to beat away all Yoh's defenses. And if Yoh can only summon one monster per turn, then he can't defend against a direct attack from Seto's two Blue Eyes White Dragon. That is, unless Atemu's spell option pays off... But will that spell be enough to hold off two Blue Eyes White Dragons?  
  
Chapter 13: Magic and Wizards, Chibi Style! (Part III)  
  
Atemu closes his eyes and falls into a trance. "I calleth on the powers of the Egyptian Gods, the gods of the sun, moon, and stars. I pay my homage to thee. Show me thy power, and illuminate the darkness of a thousand nights! Lendeth me thy sword! I calleth on the Swords of Revealing Light!" Atemu recites with authority.  
  
Seto takes a step back. "Swords of Revealing Light?" Seto repeats in disbelief.  
  
A small glimmer of light can be seen in the clouds. The next thing anyone can tell, a shower of white, glowing swords rains down on Seto and his two Blue Eyes White Dragons. The swords surround the dragons, and the creatures both immediately freeze up.  
  
Yoh grins at seeing the mighty magic of the Swords of Revealing Light take effect. "Egzowedt! Nau Iy ken summyn u mawnstowr widowd id gedding deztwoyd!" (Excellent! Now I can summon a monster without it getting destroyed!) Yoh exclaims happily as he tosses a rock into the air. The rock reforms into a two-legged, monster with bulging muscles that looks like a cross between a barbarian and an alligator. Its most prominent feature is the gauntlets that it wears, both sporting built-in blades, intended for crude, melee combat.  
  
Atemu smiles at the monster Yoh summoned. "Hmm, a Rude Kaiser. It's not nearly as offensive as Gaia, much less two Blue Eyes White Dragons, but it still poses a threat to any other monster Seto might pull out." Atemu claims calmly.  
  
Seto tosses yet another stone to himself repeatedly. "Well let's see how well your Rude Kaiser can fend off this attack, wimps! I call on the Judge Man!" Seto exclaims as he throws another stone into the air.  
  
The stone reforms into the shape of an old, bearded knight, carrying two enormous maces, one in each hand. The new monster rushes at the Rude Kaiser that Yoh just summoned and lunges at it with an over-handed swing of its mace. The reptilian monster attempts to brace itself against the attack by lunging back with its blades, futilely attempting to chop the mace with the blades on its forearms. The knight smashes the reptile with a single smite of its mace. The Rude Kaiser roars in pain and vanishes.  
  
Yoh collapses to his feet. "Nou... I tawd dat... da swowdz bwokkd hym fwum uttakin wid enytin... An nau Iy lawzd anuda mawnstow... Sawee, Annah..." (No... I thought that... the swords blocked him from attacking with anything... And now I lost another monster... Sorry, Anna...) Yoh mutters to himself.  
  
Atemu stares down at Yoh. "I'm sorry, Yoh. I thought you knew that the Swords of Revealing Light only restrain the monsters that are present when the swords are cast. I should have told you to defend with your monster."  
  
Behind Yoh and Atemu, the tentacles that bind Anna up to her waist slither up her chest and wrap all the way around her shoulders. The unconscious little girl is now almost entirely enveloped in shadowy tentacles, but her face and arms remain uncovered.  
  
Yoh cannot help but to glance back at Anna out the corner of his eye. He sees that the tentacles have almost claimed her entirely, and clutches one last stone in his hands.  
  
Atemu tries to get Yoh's attention by calling out to him. "Yoh. Yoh, get up. That move may have been costly, but it gave us the opportunity we needed."  
  
Yoh's eyes shoot open at hearing what Atemu said to him. He gets up off the ground again. "Wud wuz dat yew sed, Utemoo? Dat wee kan wyn?" (What was that you said, Atemu? That we can win?) Yoh replies.  
  
Atemu nods with confidence. "Yes, it's true. Remember that Seto said that if we can eliminate the sacrifice that the sorcerer put up as a sacrifice, then we can beat him, and his dragons will disappear. And the sacrifice takes damage whenever the sorcerer's monsters are destroyed. So if we can summon a monster strong enough to overpower his Judge Man AND Seto's sacrifice, then we can get around both his Blue Eyes White Dragons, and both you and Anna can escape the Shadow Realm." Atemu states.  
  
Yoh holds his stone in his hand and stares at it morbidly. "Yeh, budt..." (Yeah, but...) Yoh stutters. He then looks past Seto and all the monsters out, at the boy standing behind Seto: Mokuba. "Budt... datz nawd juwzd u sakwofiyz. Heez a kyd, juwzd wiyk mee. Iy feew giwtee fow hayvin ta dew dys ta hym wen hee nevvow dyd ennytin ta mee..." (But... that's not just a sacrifice. He's a kid, just like me. I feel guilty for having to do this to him when he never did anything to me...) Yoh stutters. His arm falls down to his side and the small stone slips between his fingers.  
  
Atemu stares across the field at Mokuba with cold and calculating eyes. 'He's right... That boy is... just that, an innocent boy. He doesn't deserve this...' Atemu thinks to himself. He then stares back at the batting cage, at what is left of Anna. 'But then again... neither does Anna. She didn't ask to be a living sacrifice.' Atemu says to himself.  
  
Seto grins widely at seeing the hopelessness on Yoh's face. "So you've finally accepted your fate? It's about time. I was getting tired of waiting for you."  
  
Atemu grits his teeth, then stares down to Yoh, looking for a glimmer of hope in Yoh. "Yoh, there's no choice. In this Shadow Game, it's either that boy, or Anna." Atemu states morbidly.  
  
Yoh hears this and quickly reaches down to his side, to the stone he dropped. He picks it up and grips it tightly. "Dys gaym... Idz nawd u gaym... Idz eevow... Iyw puwd in ed tu idt..." (This game... It's not a game... It's evil... I'll put an end to it...) Yoh vows to himself under his breath. He then raises his head and glares at Seto. Throwing his rock into the air with a loud grunt, Yoh stares at the stone as it flies through the air.  
  
The stone appears as if falling in slow motion. For everyone, time appears to nearly stand still as the anticipation builds and builds as to whether Yoh's attack will be strong enough to wipe out Seto. The stone falls slower and slower as everyone's hearts pound amazingly hard with anticipation on the identity of the monster that comes out of the stone. The stone hits the ground and bounces a couple of times, then hits the ground one last time and...  
  
POOF! A giant whirlwind kicks up around the stone as it raises up into the air and morphs into a robed figure with a long green staff and distinguishing purple hair. The whirlwind dies down and the newly appeared mage lands on the ground feet-first. It stares up at Judge Man and both Blue Eyes White Dragons with a smirk on its face.  
  
Atemu's jaw drops. "Incredible. I never thought that I would ever see my loyal servant again," Atemu mutters to himself.  
  
Yoh turns to Atemu, having overheard his mutterings. "Sew, wuz data ennywey?" (So, what is that anyway?) Yoh asks.  
  
The robed mage turns back to Yoh and Atemu, then looks Atemu in the eye. It lays down it's staff and bows to Atemu.  
  
Atemu smiles at the figure that Yoh summoned. "Yoh, this is the Dark Magician. Back in my time, this Shadow Monster was one of the most powerful human Shadow Monsters to ever be summoned. This Shadow Monster, the Dark Magician, has immense magical strength, with such power rivaled only by his loyalty to me."  
  
Yoh puts his hands on his hips and turns to face Seto. "Sew iv dys mawnstow kayn destwoy da Juj Mayn bayd enuff, den yewl hayv wozt da Saddew Gaym, Settow!" (So if this monster can destroy Judge Man bad enough, then you'll have lost the Shadow Game, Seto!) Yoh declares with confidence.  
  
Seto only grins. 'Hmph, that runt is crazy if he thinks that the Dark Magician, powerful as he is, can wipe out my Judge Man AND my magical sacrifice. This kid is delirious,' Seto thinks to himself.  
  
"Nau, Dawk Meegyshun, destwoy da Juj Mayn!" (Now, Dark Magician, destroy the Judge Man!) Yoh commands the Dark Magician as he points at Seto's Judge Man with authority.  
  
The Dark Magician grabs his staff and climbs to his feet, then sneers down at Yoh with his cold, purple eyes.  
  
Yoh takes a step back and begins stuttering. "Hay, sowee, fowgawd ta sey pweez. Sawee, gawd kawt uwp iyn da mowmynt..." Yoh says to the Dark Magician. "... er... Wud yew pweez uttak Juj Mayn?" (... er... Would you please attack the Judge Man?) Yoh begs the tall mage.  
  
Atemu steps in between Yoh and the Dark Magician. "Yoh, it's not you, it's him. He only listens to me," Atemu informs Yoh. He then turns to the Dark Magician and stares into his eyes. "Now, Dark Magician, do my bidding and attack the Judge Man with Black Magic Attack!" Atemu commands the Dark Magician.  
  
The Dark Magician nods to Atemu and looks over his shoulder, at the Judge Man. He grins widely and jumps forward. He points his staff at the Judge Man with authority, in mid-jump. The space in between the Judge Man and the tip of the Dark Magician's staff warps and swirls on itself. The Judge Man dissolves into sparkling powder and floats back towards Seto, completely obliterated.  
  
Seto watches contently as the attack from the Dark Magician dissolved his monster into magical dust. The sparkles fly past him, carried by a light breeze. "That's all? That's all that your strongest monster has to throw at me? You'd think your mage would have more to give than that..." Seto taunts the two.  
  
Yoh and Atemu stare past Seto, at Mokuba, hoping that he will be entirely enveloped in shadowy tentacles so that the game will end.  
  
Mokuba stands in place, totally hypnotized by the dark tentacles wrapped around his legs. The tentacles slither up Mokuba's legs slowly and wrap around his waist, then stop.  
  
Yoh's jaw drops. "Datz awl?" (That's all?) he mutters to himself as he drops to his knees. "Gwaydt. Miy wazd mawnstow kuwdind sayv Annahs wiyf. Iy fayowd..." (Great. My last monster couldn't save Anna's life. I failed...) Yoh mutters to himself. He stares at his dirty and empty hands, having run out of stones to throw and thereby being unable to summon ano0ther monster.  
  
Atemu grits his teeth. "Don't worry, Yoh. That failed attack was an error, but fortunately not a critical error. You still have one stone left," he tells Yoh. Atemu stares down at Yoh, who still mopes. "You DO still have one more stone, right?" he asks Yoh morbidly, seeing as Yoh is apparently without any stones left in his hands.  
  
Yoh stares up at Atemu, with a tear leaking down his cheek. "Wuder ya tawkin bowdt? Sevyn stownz awl gawn. Wun, tew, twee, fowr, syx, sevyn. Datz awl, Iy wozdt..." (What are you talking about? Seven stones all gone. One, two, three, four, six, seven. That's all, I lost...) Yoh says to Atemu.  
  
Atemu slaps himself in the forehead. "Yoh... it's one, two, three, four, FIVE, six, seven..." he says, correcting Yoh.  
  
Yoh stands to his feet. "OOOOOW, shewdt, fowgawd fiyv. Sawee, Utemoo..." (OOOOOH, shoot, forgot five. Sorry, Atemu...) Yoh apologizes.  
  
Seto giggles to himself, then breaks up in maniacal laughter. "Ahahahahaha, Atemu, you were a fool! You placed your fate squarely in the hands of some toddler that can't even count to seven! Ahahahahahaha!" Seto mocks Atemu. He then takes the final stone in his hand and kisses it for luck. "But unfortunately for you, I CAN count to seven, and I can tell you that with this attack, your numbers are up," Seto declares with the utmost confidence in himself. He tosses the final stone into the air. "Go now, my mighty servant! Destroy his Dark Magician and end this Shadow Game!"  
  
In mid-air, the thrown stone changes shape, forming a monstrous blue and white glistening dragon, a third Blue Eyes White Dragon. The dragon roars loudly at Yoh, Atemu, and the final monster Yoh summoned, the Dark Magician. The dragon accumulates a ball of white light in its mouth. When the beam becomes fully concentrated, the beam discharges and rushes towards the Dark Magician.  
  
"It's OVER! Victory is MINE! AHAHAHAHA!" Seto gloats.  
  
Atemu and Yoh stare at the Blue Eyes White Dragon with shock as they brace themselves for the final attack of the Shadow Game, the attack directed their way...  
  
(A/N: Hmm, that sucks. Yoh and Atemu are just about finished. Will Yoh be able to survive his critical mistake? Find out next time, when I bring you: _Chibi Beginnings: Chapter 13: Magic and Wizards, Chibi Style! (Part IV)_) 


	14. Magic and Wizards, Chibi Style! Part IV

(A/N: I'm not getting nearly the reviews I was hoping for. Quite ironic that this fic was the one that was selected to be continued by fans' choice, though it's not as popular back in the days where it was all mush and no action. Oh well.  
  
Oh, and by the way, I was asked by FiRe-BabiiE how come Atemu doesn't just go ahead and possess Yoh and do the Shadow Game that way. Fair question. And with fair question comes fair answer. Simply enough, Yoh doesn't have the Millennium Puzzle, Chibi Yugi does, if you remember way back to chapter 1. According to the Manga, which is where I got a lot of ideas for this fic already, the Millennium Puzzle has the power of union between light and dark souls, which makes sense considering the bits of evidence from the anime about the puzzle's power. So without the puzzle, sure Atemu could possess Yoh, but it wouldn't make Yoh any magically stronger as if he did have the Puzzle.  
  
Well enough chit-chat, duel time.  
  
Fangirls: "We want Yoh! We want Yoh! We want Yoh!..."

Drake: "Well I'm sure you do...")  
  
Chapter 14: Magic and Wizards, Chibi-Style! (Part IV)  
  
At the order of its master, the Blue Eyes White Dragon delivers its devastating burst stream attack to the only Shadow Monster Yoh has left, the Dark Magician. The Dark Magician vainly tries to block the attack with his staff, but his staff snaps in half. The Dark Magician is engulfed in a massive explosion, an explosion so large that it catches both Yoh and Atemu in a cloud of smoke. After the attack, everyone looks back on the area where the Dark Magician had stood. The Dark Magician had vanished, and in his place was a large, smoldering crater.  
  
Both Yoh and Atemu stare back at Anna morbidly, hoping to see her one last time before the Shadows devoured her and their loss had been made official.  
  
The black tentacles begin moving and enveloping Anna's arms, slithering over her arms like a snake on a tree branch. The tentacles wrap her arms up past her elbows and slowly proceed to finish their task.  
  
"WAIT!" Atemu yells, as if pleading to the shadowy tentacles.  
  
The tentacles continue to envelop Anna's limp arms, proceeding past her elbows, up to her wrists, showing no signs of stopping.  
  
Yoh stares on faintly and falls on his knees. He is so hurt by what is happening that he can't bring himself to cry his eyes out like one would think he would do.  
  
Atemu falls to his knees and continues pleading vainly to the shadowy tentacles. "Stop, this isn't fair!" Atemu begs.  
  
The tentacles flow through the cage to envelop Anna's small and feeble hands. The tentacles proceed to head for Anna's neck.  
  
"Stop it! Yoh hasn't lost seven monsters yet! Seto can't be the winner just yet! Yoh miscounted, and that's no cause for such a fatal end!" Atemu yells, continuing to beg the tentacles for mercy.  
  
The tentacles wrap around Anna's neck and slither behind her head. All of Anna that remains uncovered by the monstrous tentacles is her face. The tentacles wrap over her mouth and circle around her head, ready to make one more pass over her eyes and enshroud the helpless little girl forever.  
  
Yoh places his hands in his lap and begins pouting. "I-I-Iy wozdt... Annah... Iy-Iy-Iy'm sow sowee... Wiy dyd dys hayv tew happyn ta yew? Iy wuv yew..." (I-I-I lost... Anna... I-I-I'm so sorry... Why did this have to happen to you? I love you...) Yoh cries out to Anna, knowing deep down that she can't hear him, and is devastated at this detail.  
  
Seto folds his arms and smiles widely. "Hehehehehehe... It's over for those two. Finally, now that Atemu is out of my way, I can proceed to rule the wo-" He stops his self ranting and falls on his hands and knees. Instead of powerful and mighty rantings, his speech is limited to shivers of fear and mutters to himself.  
  
"Wh-what happened? What's going on? Mokie, where are you?" Seto panics. With all his strength, he stares up across the field, at Yoh and Atemu. "H- h-hey, what's going on?!" he whines. "Last thing I remember, I-I-I... Anna, I'm sorry!" he yells to himself.  
  
The tentacles prepare to slowly cover Anna's closed eyelids, but right before the tentacles can wrap over the last of her, they stop and freeze up.  
  
Atemu and Yoh both stare back at Seto, now on his hands and knees.  
  
"Wud yew sey, Settow? Wiy yew apowogyzin ta Annah? Hau dew yew now hew?" (What did you say, Seto? Why are you apologizing to Anna? How do you know her?) Yoh asks Seto, shocked at Seto's change of attitude.  
  
Seto tries to get to his feet, completely unaware that a Shadow Game had been played and that he had won it. He points at Yoh with a trembling finger. "Y-yo-you... You're that 'one' that Anna kept talking about..."  
  
Yoh balls up a fist and wipes away his tears with his forearm. "Wiy ya now Annah?" (Why do you know Anna?) Yoh shouts at Seto, demanding an answer.  
  
Seto walks towards Yoh, past the Blue Eyes White Dragons still lingering on his side of the field. He paces towards Yoh slowly, trembling at the knees. "You... Anna mentioned to me that there was someone very close to her. Is that you?" Seto says, still trembling and wobbling in his walk.  
  
Atemu stares Seto in the eye and gasps. "Yoh! That's not Priest Seto, that's a different Seto altogether!" Atemu declares.  
  
Yoh looks back in shock at Atemu's declaration. "Wud yew tawkin 'bowdt?" (What are you talking about?) Yoh asks.  
  
Atemu continues staring at the innocent Seto. "While you were off miscounting rocks, before the Shadow Game started, Seto, the child not the priest, showed signs of breaking free of Priest Seto's possession. He mentioned that he apologized for what Priest Seto made him do. Seto and Anna apparently befriended each other while she was at the orphanage," Atemu recalls.  
  
Yoh stares back at Seto, now having distinguished the personalities of the priest and the boy. "Yew... beefwendyd Annah?" (You... befriended Anna?) He paces towards Seto slowly, still uneasy at the thought that Priest Seto could take over at any time. "Yew dyd dat fowr Annah... Yew wew niyz ta hew. Wew, befow da evow speewyd tuwk ovuw, ennywey. ...Settow, iz idt? Tankz." (You did that for Anna... You were nice to her. Well, before the evil spirit took over, anyway. ...Seto, is it? Thanks.) Yoh says to Seto, walking closer and closer to him, stopping at where he stood in place.  
  
Seto stops fidgeting and stares Yoh in the eye, nodding his head back and forth. "I-I'm so sorry, Yoh. I didn't want to have to pu-" Seto says before stopping in mid-sentence and reverting back to his nastier personality, the one controlled by the evil spirit.  
  
Yoh steps back slowly and uncertainly at Seto, who he thinks he can trust. "Ew, Settow?" (Uh, Seto?) Yoh asks uncertainly.  
  
Seto stares down at the ground and has stopped quaking at the knees. "hehehehehehe... In his flesh..." Seto mutters, having reverted back into being under Priest Seto's control.  
  
The Blue Eyes White Dragon at Yoh's side roars at Yoh, who stands right beside it. The dragon lashes Yoh with its tail, throwing Yoh back to where he started, at Atemu's side.  
  
Seto returns to his place behind his dragons. "Hehehehe... good Blue Eyes. Now as Atemu cleverly mentioned to the Shadows, you two can't lose until I destroy either your sacrifice OR your seventh monster, and stones will only carry the souls of monsters if they were on your person. So unless you're the kind that's stupid enough to carry pet rocks in your pockets, you have no monster, and after the Swords of Revealing Light expire, all three of my Blue Eyes White Dragons can tear you apart, ending the game!" Seto exclaims.  
  
Yoh quickly slips his hands into his pants pockets, hoping to find a stone to serve as his seventh monster. "Gawda fiynd u stown, gawda fiynd u stown..." (Gotta find a stone, gotta find a stone...) Yoh mutters to himself. He finds something in one of his pockets and pulls it out. He takes the crumpled wad of paper in his pocket into his palm and stares at it. "Ak, naw gud, aw Iyz gawtz iz dys paypow skwap uv Annahz..." (Ack! No good, all I have is this paper scrap of Anna's...) Yoh says with despair.  
  
Seto raises an eyebrow. "Hmm, so you found that? I manipulated this boy into telling Anna that it got thrown out, but you found it somehow. So what?"  
  
Yoh and Atemu both grit their teeth and ponder to themselves of what to do.  
  
Seto stares at the two with amusement. "You know, lying to the girl about the paper was rather amusing to watch. That little baby burst into tears! It definitely ranks as one of the things I've done since returning that are simply priceless. It almost ranks as high as possessing that pink-haired twit back at your home, eh Yoh?" Seto says, taunting Yoh and Atemu.  
  
Yoh hears what Seto said to him, his anger building and building higher and higher. "Yew puzessd u 'pynk-haywd twydt', yew sey? ...Nou... hau kuwd yew?" (You possessed a 'pink-haired twit', you say? ...No... how could you?) Yoh gasps as an epiphany had just hit him.  
  
Seto grins as he watches Yoh put two and two together. "Yes, it's true, I possessed her, too. What was her name? It was... Tabitha, Tamara, something like that, right? It was a blast. I actually got her to let me possess her to get rid of Anna so that she and you could be Shaman King and Shaman Queen, and I could tap both your powers to rule the world. But that compassion she had for you was only an infatuation, so that plan failed." He points up at what is left of Anna. "But Anna... that's a totally different situation. Whether you see it or not, she loves you deeply... Too bad you're going to be too dead to be there for her anymore..."  
  
Yoh grits his teeth and grips the paper wad into his hand. "Settow... yew wedt aftow peepow kwowz ta mee ta twy an kyw Annah... Datz infowgivabow..." (Seto... you went after people close to me to try and kill Anna... That's unforgivable...) Yoh snarls under his breath. He stares at his fist, balled up over the wad of paper. "Budt iy gawd u deew fow yew..." (But I have a deal for you...) Yoh says confidently.  
  
Atemu stares at Yoh, having some idea of what Yoh is doing, though is frightened out of his wits. "Yoh... please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing..." he begs frightfully.  
  
Yoh ignores Atemu entirely. "Wew, IV yor nawd tew skaywd, hau baut dys. Iy twow dys paypow wawd awdt tew da feewd, an dat'w bee miy sevynth mawnstow. Ownwee den kan yew wyn, sew dat pwetti muwgh meenz yew gawdt tew..." (Well IF you're not too scared, how about this. I'll throw this paper wad out to the field, and that'll be my seventh monster. Only then can you win, so that pretty much means you have to...) Yoh says confidently.  
  
Seto begins cackling. "Mhehehehehehe... Ahahahahaha! Yoh, you're a lunatic! That wad of paper can't hold a monster, so throw it out and watch my dragons blow it away!"  
  
The Swords of Revealing Light that bind the two Blue Eyes White Dragons disappears, and all three Blue Eyes fly into the air in a formation. They land in front of Yoh and Atemu and roar down on the two, ready to attack.  
  
Yoh stares defiantly upward at the three Blue Eyes White Dragons and grins. "Heh, new swedt, iv datz aw yew gawdt..." (Heh, no sweat, if that's all you've got.) Yoh says to Seto and his three Blue Eyes White Dragons.  
  
(A/N: You know what comes now, ANOTHER to be continued! This is most definitely torture to anyone who wants to see this get done (you know who you are). Oh well, I'll get there when I get there, ne?  
  
Will Yoh escape the clutches of three Blue Eyes White Dragons? Can Yoh and Atemu save the child in Seto? Is Anna gone for good? Stay tuned and find out in the 15th chapter in this saga of Chibi Beginnings: _Hoping For the Future..._)


	15. Hoping for the Future

(A/N: I have you all right where I want you, my adoring fans, RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEATS! Yoh and Atemu are on the brink of defeat, Anna is almost entirely swallowed by the darkness, and Yoh's final ploy involves tossing a scrap of paper at the three Blue Eyes White Dragons to defeat them. Can Yoh and Atemu pull this around, or will they not live to see the present time?)  
  
Chapter 15: Hoping for the Future  
  
Seto's three Blue Eyes White Dragons lean over Yoh and Atemu, ready to tear them both to pieces in a second. Yoh only stares up defiantly at the three dragons, continuing to hold the paper wad in the palm of his hand.  
  
"Heew gowz nuttin..." (Here goes nothing...) Yoh mutters. He tosses the wad of paper out onto the field. The paper lands on the ground, seeming to have had no effect. But still, Yoh has a smirk of confidence on his face.  
  
The three Blue Eyes White Dragons bend over to the wad of paper. The dragons collectively lower their heads and curiously sniff at the wad of paper, trying to figure out what it is. The three dragons snarl at each other lightly, as if communicating like pack-hunting wolves.  
  
Atemu freezes up in fear as the wad of paper fails to react with the magical properties that Yoh's stones invoked. "Psst... Yoh... Yoh, it's not working... When those three realize that the paper you threw has no monster in it..." Atemu whispers to Yoh, trying to keep motionless so that the three Blue Eyes White Dragons don't sense him and try to attack him.  
  
Yoh only continues to smirk. "Idew wuwk, twuzd mee..." (It'll work, trust me...) Yoh declares, trying to comfort Atemu's fears.  
  
The three dragons stop their primal grunting and roar into the air loudly. Starting with the Blue Eyes White Dragon in the center, apparently acting as the pack leader, the dragons fly high into the sky, away from the wad of paper. The three dragons open their mouths and gather energy in the back of their throats. They aim at the wad of paper from a distance, ready to unleash their devastating attacks. The loud crackling of thunder echoes throughout the entire field.  
  
Atemu takes a step back as he sees the three dragons get sized up for one final attack formation. "Yoh! If there's some secret strategy you have, now would be a GREAT TIME to let me know!" Atemu shouts to Yoh, trying to speak over the loud crackling of the attacks of the Blue Eyes White Dragons.  
  
Seto folds his arms and stares across the field at Yoh and Atemu. "Yoh, that proposition you offered cost you the game. I almost feel sorry that you have to explain to your 'precious Anna' that you screwed up because you were stupid, but then again, at least I come out the winner..." Seto mocks.  
  
The three dragons gather lightning in the back of their throats and release the gathered energy in highly concentrated bursts of pure power. The target of these potent beams is Yoh, who somehow stands defiantly in place, as if he has accepted his fate.  
  
The energy streams cross above the wad of paper, and the light from the beams glistens in Yoh's eyes as he stares back with unnerving confidence, when all of a sudden, the beams get cut off right before reaching Yoh. The beams instead intercept an empty space in the air. The pressure of the beams dies down and all three attacks fail to hit Yoh.  
  
Right where the attack bounced off of, in between Yoh and Atemu, a ball of bluish green light appears. This light shines out in small, thin beams and draws an enormous, five-pointed star in the air.  
  
None is more shocked by this turn of events than Seto. He takes a step back and stares at the luminous star that shielded Yoh from the attack of his dragons. "Wh-what is that?! What sorcery can stand up to the might of three Blue Eyes White Dragons?!" Seto stammers in shock.  
  
Atemu sighs to himself, though is still tense about what had just happened. 'Phew, so that wad of paper does have a monster, and the attacks of those Blue Eyes White Dragons were averted. But still, it takes more than any normal monster to defeat three Blue Eyes White Dragons...' Atemu thinks to himself.  
  
Yoh's smile grows bigger. "Awwiyd, Iy tawd wee wew duwn fow! Wee suw wukd owd dew, hu Utemoo?" (Alright, I thought that we were done for! We sure lucked out there, huh Atemu?) Yoh says with a snicker in his tone.  
  
Atemu hears this and anime-faints, quickly coming to his feet afterwards. "LUCKED OUT?! Are you telling me that you threw that wad of paper out there and made that gamble with Seto, but you DIDN'T KNOW if it would even WORK?!" Atemu exclaims, disturbed at how Yoh comically took his own and Atemu's success for granted.  
  
Yoh only grins back at Atemu comically. "Wud, yew ixpektyd mee ta hav a pwan?" (What, you expected me to have a plan?) Yoh says with a giggle. He then turns to the large, glowing star in the air that protected him and Atemu from the blast of the Blue Eyes White Dragons. "Wew, hooeva yew aw, iv yowr a mawnstow, kum awn owd an sow deez nawdee Bwu Iyz haw da beehayv!" (Well, whoever you are, if you're a monster, come on out and show these naughty Blue Eyes how to behave!) Yoh confidently commands the un-summoned monster.  
  
A moment later, to everyone's surprise, an enormous, bronze, right arm thrusts itself out of the star and balls up its fist, as if crossing a portal. This hand is so large that its fist is easily larger than a single Blue Eyes White Dragon. Another arm shoots out of the star, this arm having a broken shackle around its wrist. A giant, ancient face and heavily armored torso then thrust itself out of the star. The torso is then followed by a large pair of legs, both wearing shackles around the ankles. Fully emerged, the beast looks like a gigantic, bronze-armored, extremely muscular mummy. It stares down at Seto and his Blue Eyes White Dragons as if they are insects.  
  
Seto's jaw drops in horror at the monster Yoh summoned. "Wh-wh-wh... H-h-how did- how did- ...such an inexperienced brat summon a monster like that?! I swear that I've never seen that monster before, and I've seen everything!" Seto stutters in fear, barely comprehending the awesome might of the monster that Yoh summoned.  
  
Atemu stares up at the monster with awe. 'No, wait... I remember this monster... Yes, it was back in my duel with Seto! I remember now! I unleashed this all-powerful monster against Seto and defeated him, after which I erased both our memories so that no one may ever use such a powerful creature again... It's...' Atemu thinks to himself.  
  
Yoh's jaw hangs open as he stares at the monster he called on miraculously. "Wowee, wud a mawnstow!" (Wow-wee, what a monster!) Yoh exclaims.  
  
Atemu begins muttering under his breath. "I'm sure I've seen that thing before. Yes, it's the Harbinger of Extinction... The Forbidden One... Exodia..." Atemu mutters in awe.  
  
"Ig... zo... dee... yah..." (Ex... o... di... a...) Yoh says to himself, sounding out the name of his new monster. "Yezz! Iy dyd idt! Iy kan beedt Settow nau!" (Yes! I did it! I can beat Seto now!) Yoh congratulates himself, jumping up and down with youthful joy.  
  
After a while, Atemu averts his gaze from the monster that Yoh summoned and glances down at Yoh, clearing his throat before responding to Yoh. "...er, ahem! Yoh, if you don't mind, I would like to make the final move of this Shadow Game. It's nothing personal, it's just that I feel that Seto is my problem and it's my responsibility to make sure that his plans of conquest aren't carried out." Atemu tells Yoh.  
  
Yoh stares up at Atemu uncertainly, then after a moment, he shrugs his shoulders. "Wuddevew, Utemoo. Aw Iy wawd awda dys iz miy Annah bak, sayf an sownd. Iy ow yew miy wiyf fow gettyn mee dys faw, idz da weezd Iy kan dew." (Whatever, Atemu. All I want out of this is my Anna back, safe and sound. I owe you my life for getting me this far, it's the least I can do.) Yoh says as he glances out the corner of his eye, to the batting cage where Anna, nearly enveloped in shadowy tentacles, hangs off the cage by her hands.  
  
Atemu grins at Yoh, and then then turns to the giant barbarian mummy that towers over Seto and his monsters like a skyscraper. "Thank you, Yoh." Atemu responds calmly, then he grits his teeth and stares coldly across the field at Seto. "Now Seto, feel the wrath of Exodia once again! Exodia, OBLITERATE!" Atemu commands Exodia.  
  
At hearing Atemu's command, the giant begins moving by lifting its hands in front of its chest. The creature cups a small sphere of golden light in its hands, and the sphere of light slowly gets bigger and bigger. Then, in one swift motion, the beast takes an offensive stance and swings its hand back, carrying the small orb of light in its palm. With one swift follow-through of its arm, the ball of light implodes, sending a wave of golden fire in Seto's direction. This tears apart Seto's Blue Eyes White Dragons, ironically enough, as if they were made out of paper. Seto shouts in both pain and astonishment as the mighty creature tears through his Blue Eyes White Dragons, his last monsters, so easily. With all the other monsters gone, Exodia vanishes off the field.  
  
Seto collapses to his hands and knees and stutters to himself. "H-h-how could this happen...?" he asks himself under his breath as he stares up at Atemu and Yoh.  
  
Atemu stares coldly down at Seto. "Seto, get off the ground, you don't deserve mercy! For all that you've done..." Atemu says as he points at Seto. "...I lay a curse upon your foul soul!" Atemu exclaims.  
  
Seto stares around himself and stutters in fear as black, shadowy tentacles come out of the ground and try to pull him down, through the ground. "Waaa! What is this curse?! Atemu, I'll get you for this one day!" Seto exclaims as he is pulled through the ground by the shadow tentacles.  
  
Atemu continues staring coldly at Seto. "Hmph. Not only will your soul be consumed by the darkness, but the will of your soul will be exterminated. Should the child you possessed during this Shadow Game ever be unfortunate enough to cross paths with you again, he will close his mind to your existence, and he will deny your presence fully, so that your power may never again gather!" Atemu declares as the shadow tentacles pull Seto through the ground. Yoh stands behind Atemu and squeamishly hides his face with his hands, peeking through with his fingers occasionally to see the fate that is befalling Seto.  
  
Seto is slowly and steadily dragged through the ground by the tentacles, and the last part of him to be swallowed up is his fist, which he balls up in defiance right before being swallowed up entirely. "I'll get you both, you haven't seen the last of the most powerful sorcerer to walk the earth!" Seto utters, his voice echoing throughout the area as if coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. His hand finally falls below the ground.  
  
Yoh and Atemu stand in place, motionless and silent for a while, until Yoh speaks up at last.  
  
"Wew, zad idt?" (Well, is that it?) Yoh asks innocently and dumbly as he places a finger on his chin.  
  
Atemu nearly falls over in astonishment at the carelessness of Yoh's comment, but he catches his balance quickly. "What?! 'Is that all', you ask?! After a Shadow Game against Seto, with the odds stacked against our victory, 'Well, is that all' isn't what should normally come to mind!" Atemu shouts at Yoh, unable to comprehend his carelessness.  
  
Yoh begins giggling childishly and holds the back of his head. "Wew wee dyd wyn, sew new hawm, new fawell, ey?" (Well we did win, so no harm, no foul, eh?) Yoh says with a snicker.  
  
Atemu slaps himself in the forehead and groans, trying to answer to himself how Yoh can be so easygoing about something as serious as a Shadow Game.  
  
(A/N: Well, the duel is finally over, and Atemu and Yoh are free from the Shadow Game at last! (Hehehe, just checking, but how many of you have seen this duel before? Here's a hint, the similarity is no coincidence...) But not all is well though. Still, some questions remain unanswered. Is the child Seto okay? What happened to Mokuba and Anna? What repercussions are there to having released Exodia, the Forbidden One? And what effect does this have on Yoh, Anna, Seto, and YamiYugi in the present? Find out all this and more in the next chapter of Chibi Beginnings: "The Cost of Victory", coming soon...) 


End file.
